


Blood and Magic

by Tea_is_not_leaf_juice



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood, Blood Drinking, Consensual Sex, Dubious Consent, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Violence, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-09-07 17:00:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8808754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tea_is_not_leaf_juice/pseuds/Tea_is_not_leaf_juice
Summary: Armin Arlert leads a simple life. Although he's crippled, he's content as long as he has a good book to read, Grandpa and his best friends. But what happens when he's taken away to serve in the vampire royals castle? How can he serve if he can't walk?





	1. Chapter One

It was a cold, windy night. The first breath of winter was blowing through the trees and rattling the wooden wind chime too hard for its usual soft melody. Armin snuggled deeper under his many blankets as his age stiffened grandfather put fresh logs in their fireplace to battle against the drafts in their wooden one room home. Their small house was old and falling into disrepair. The senior of the only two occupants was the single one able to tend their tiny farm and keep up with their house. Armin was sixteen and should have been able to take on most of the work by his age, but was unable to contribute due to a bad accident that had left him paralyzed from the waist down when he was around ten years old. Since then, the tiny boy hadn't been able to do much more than cook easy meals, spin wool and knit them some simple clothes and blankets. 

Together they lead a simple life, surviving without magic tools or the more luxurious living conditions that their friends in town did. Grandpa couldn't use magic. He just didn't have it in him. Miraculously, Armin had an untapped ability, that he had been tested for during puberty, just like everyone else his age. No one in his family lineage had it, and Armin was ecstatic to find out that maybe there was a way he could contribute after all. Unfortunately, magic lessons were out of the question, because it was an expense they couldn't afford. Grandpa sent Armin to school for as long as it was free, but once he was too old, Armin had to stay home. 

His first week home from school, sent Armin into a deep depression. He didn't get out of bed unless he had to, and he barely ate. Grandpa felt awful, but there was simply nothing he could do. They had nothing of value to sell that they could spare, and not enough savings to spend it on an education that Armin wouldn't need to survive. Once the weekend hit, and Eren and Mikasa, Armin's best friends since their first day of school, came to visit. They saw how worried Grandpa was and how depressed and scarily thin Armin had become in just one week. The two had become worried and Eren promised to bring Armin books from the library in the town where his dad paid for a membership. At first, Armin was against the idea because it was technically illegal, but once the first borrowed book was in his hands, Armin couldn't say no. The first book was just a simple novel, something that no one would think twice about Eren borrowing, but as the weeks and months went by, Eren became more daring and started checking out textbooks, and books on simple magic spells for Armin. They were books he could learn from and they kept him in much better spirits. 

“That should last close to half the night,” Grandpa said as he stood up and turned to smile at his frail grandson. “Your wheeled chair is right beside you, is there anything else you need before I crawl into my bed?” 

“No, thank you.” Armin smiled back as he wrapped one of the blankets over his head like a hood and hugged his current library book tight. In truth, he was thirsty, but he knew that he had already finished the last of the water in the house and he couldn't ask his grandfather to go out in the cold just to get more from their well. Besides, if he drank too much, Grandpa would have to get up in the middle of the night just to help him to the outhouse to pee. The disabled boy held onto a lot of guilt because of his condition. His parents were no longer around to help, and Armin should have been able to take care of so much more around the house to give his grandfather a break. Instead, his grandfather was busy taking care of him and their farm all because he had been careless as a child. Occasionally Eren and Mikasa would come over to help them with bigger projects, or to bring food. Their charity had kept Armin and his Grandfather living in much better conditions than they could have been, but neither of the Arlert's liked accepting the help. The only thing that Armin didn't mind, and even looked forward to, was when Eren and Mikasa would take him for a ride through the countryside just to get away for a while. In the summer, the three of them would even go swimming. Of course for Armin that just meant sitting in the shallow water most of the time. But he didn't mind. It was nice to cool down and just be out of the house with his two best friends. 

“Alright then. I'll wake you in the morning. Maybe tomorrow I can give you a hot bath. It would help you warm up since you can never seem to hold onto any body heat.” The old man chuckled and brushed some of Armin's shoulder length hair out of his eyes. “And maybe Mikasa will come over and give you a haircut.”

“I think I'd like to keep it long, Grandpa. It will help keep my ears warm this winter.” Armin replied as he wrapped a lock of his golden hair around one of his thin fingers. 

Grandpa just chuckled again and headed to his own bed to settle in for the night. He had one leg on the bed, under the blanket when there was a loud, urgent pounding on the door. The two looked at each other in puzzlement and looked back at the door as they heard the pounding once again. 

“Open up! By order of your Lord Nile Dawk, you must open the door for the culling. A loud, aggressive voice called through the thin wooden entrance. 

Armin looked up at his grandfather in pure panic and fear. There was only one reason for someone to be at their door shouting such words. “No...” Armin mouthed as his grandfather immediately went to his bed and held his grandson close. 

“We knew it could happen. Be brave, Armin. I won't let them keep you.” Grandpa said resolutely. 

“You can't. You know that I can't walk. I won't last. They'll kill me! And you know that you can't do a damned thing about it!” Armin cried in Grandpa's arms, tears streaming down his face as he held onto the only man he had ever considered a parent. He knew it would be the last time he'd ever see his grandfather. “Please don't try to save me. You'll only be killed. You know that. You have to know that.” he begged. 

“If you do not open this door immediately we will knock it down!” The voice gave one final warning before kicking the door in. Armin felt Grandpa hold him tighter as three soldiers entered the room. Their shiny metal helmets reflected the flickering firelight and made them appear even more menacing than Armin had ever seen. He wasn't sure if it was just the firelight or the situation, but the soldiers definitely looked taller and gruffer than they ever did just peacefully patrolling the streets in town. Their blood red leather armor, and the perfectly polished silver sword hilts didn't make Armin feel safe by any means and he held tight to Grandpa with all of the strength in his tiny arms. “By order of Lord Dawk, we are here to remove Armin Arlert as part of the culling to serve our highest rulers and protectors, The Vampire Family of the Rose. We ask that you surrender peacefully and with humble honor. Your coming service will protect us all. Please kneel before us for your mark.” One of the soldiers with dark hair and a scar over one eye recited to the two Arlert's who were huddled together and a mess of tears. 

“He's paralyzed. He can't kneel.” Grandpa choked. He was about to lose the only thing worth living for and he couldn't keep his emotions in check. 

The other two soldiers moved forward and roughly pried Armin from his grandfather's arms. Their grip on Armin's flesh was enough to bruise him, and they carelessly knocked Grandpa to the worn wooden floor as they yanked Armin off of his bed and forced him onto his knees. The tiny blonde couldn't hold himself up and he fell in a heap in front of the scarred soldier. “Please don't hurt my Grandpa!” Armin cried as he looked up at the scowling man above him. 

“Make him kneel properly!” The scarred man growled to his two subordinates, ignoring Armin's cries. The two soldiers picked Armin up by his arms and hair, making him 'kneel' in front of the scarred one who took a metal stamp out of his pocket and pressed it to Armin's forehead. 

At first, the metal felt cold and Armin didn't understand the point of it, but then it started to get warm and then burn until he was screaming in pain. The scarred one had muttered an incantation over him, causing Armin to be branded with the Rose symbol of the vampire family he was to serve. 

“You are now an official servant of the Rose family.” The scarred one announced and the other two soldiers turned him to face his grandfather who was now sitting on Armin's bed holding one of Armin's blankets to his bleeding forehead. “Look upon your honorable family member and feel joy.” 

Grandpa looked at Armin with as much love and adoration in his eyes as possible. He wanted Armin to feel his love and strength one last time before he was dragged away. His grandson was in extreme pain, his forehead already swelling from the branding, and he had to be strong for Armin's sake. “I love you, Armin. I will always love you. Be strong. Be brave.” 

“I...Love you...too.” Armin choked out as stared up at his grandfather through his intense pain and tears. He could barely see, but he focused as hard as he could, knowing it would be the last time he ever got to look at his Grandpa.

“Let's go!” The scarred soldier declared and turned on his heel to leave as the other two soldiers forced Armin outside with no regard to the fact that he was only wearing his nightgown and socks. They pulled him by the arms, letting his feet drag in the dirt until they came to the horse-drawn wagon with a strong metal cage on the back, usually meant for prisoners. There were other kids Armin's age in the back, but Armin had no desire to look at their faces to see if he recognized anyone. He closed his eyes, just wanting to disappear. There was no place for an invalid at the vampire castle, and he knew it. Most likely, he would be killed or used as a human blood bag like a prisoner until he died. The vindictive side of his mind told him that it was a fitting penance for being so careless as a child and causing his grandfather the trouble of taking care of him. He didn't deserve anything more, he told himself as he was roughly thrown into the caged wagon and the door locked behind him. His body was freezing and he had no desire to even try to lift himself off of the splintery wooden floor and onto one of the seats. He knew he would likely just fall anyway as the wagon was pulled down the bumpy road. Armin lay still, letting his body remain lifeless on the floor in despair. His only solace was the cold wind on his still burning forehead. 

“Armin?! What the hell? They took you too?! Armin? Armin?!” 

Armin didn't register Eren's voice at first. It wasn't until his best friend was lifting him off the floor of the wagon and onto the seat between himself and Mikasa, that he realized he wasn't as alone as he felt. “Eren? Mikasa? You're here? Why?” Armin's voice cracked and he whimpered from the pain.

“Quiet!” One of the soldiers growled as they began moving again. There were seven in total. The three that had come into Armin's home and dragged him out and four more, presumably to guard the other teens.

Armin looked up into Eren's face and was just barely able to see how red his forehead was in the dim light of the swinging lanterns that hung off the bars of the cage. He clung to Eren as though he were a lifeline, wanting the comfort of his best friend and his body heat. 

“I have a few theories as to why they took us,” Mikasa said in a hushed voice. Most of the other kids were staring at her, hoping for answers for themselves as well. The raven haired girl was usually very quiet, but those that knew her knew that if she had something to say, it was usually important. “I'm here because I'm an orphan, and Eren is here because everyone knows he's not smart enough to be a doctor like his father. No offense.” She said softly, glancing at Eren. 

“Hey!” Eren said louder than he should have, earning him a slap on the back of the head from one of the soldiers. Everyone in the wagon froze, expecting worse. They all stayed quiet until the guards started talking among themselves again. “So then why do you think Armin is here? It's not like he can become a part of the guard or even be a good servant without his legs.” Eren whispered very quietly. 

“I think it's because Lord Dawk wants the Arlert farm. And he won't get it until Armin and his Grandfather are gone.” Mikasa replied. 

“That's stupid. What would he want with their tiny house and a few sheep, a cow, and a horse anyway? He has like five times the amount that the Arlert's have.” Eren rolled his eyes. The pain on his forehead didn't seem to affect his attitude in any way. 

“No, I think she's right,” Armin spoke up, his voice barely there. “Lord Dawk has offered to buy Grandpa's land more than once, but the price he offered was so low that Grandpa refused. He didn't want to sell our home unless it would pay for us to live better. Grandpa told me that the meager amount he was offered wouldn't keep us off the streets for long. We were better off with him working the farm as long as possible. Now that I'm gone, Grandpa is more likely to just give in, or at the very least Lord Dawk could wait for his death. I won't be there to pass the farm onto now.” Armin's words were cold and held little emotion. He didn't want to start crying again and cause a scene or get his friends in trouble because he was making too much noise. 

“Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you were chosen. You can't serve without your legs. Lord Dawk could get in a lot of trouble for sending you to the Rose family.” Eren protested.

“Not necessarily,” Mikasa whispered. “If nothing else, he's a human blood bag.”

“But that's what prisoners are for!” Eren shouted, forgetting to be quiet again. 

“If I hear one more peep out of you lot, the captain is going to brand all of your asses! If you want to remain able to sit, I suggest you shut the fuck up!” One of the soldiers shouted at them and whacked Eren on the back of the head again. 

The whole wagon went quiet again and this time, no one said a word even after the soldiers went back to their talk. Armin held onto Eren for the entire ride as they traveled around picking up more kids until their wagon was full and they started the long ride to the castle. He couldn't have made the bumpy ride there sitting up without Eren and Mikasa holding him in place. They traveled all night and didn't stop until they made it to the city just outside the castle mote around dawn. Armin dosed off a couple of times through the night against Eren or Mikasa, whoever was keeping him up. He was too cold and in too much pain to actually feel rested, but at least it helped the time to pass. He didn't really wake up fully until they heard the loud horns announcing their arrival. His eyes opened and he watched as they passed under the giant archway to the city. He had never been in the main urban center before and all of the buildings were much larger, and brighter looking that Armin had ever seen. Had he not been in such a miserable situation, he would have found the sights to be beautiful and exciting. As they rode through the streets, Armin saw shops selling everything from food, to beautifully crafted instruments. However, it was the books that caught Armin's attention. He wished he had working legs and could escape to hide among the gorgeously bound and colorful books. 

As they moved through the city and away from the market area, Armin started to notice that there were several other wagons of kids from neighboring towns and villages, all under the rule of the Rose vampires joining them in a procession. A large crowd had gathered to watch the new servants get carried away to the castle. Some of the wagons were caged like Armin's to prevent the kids from trying to escape, but others looked more like parade floats with the occupants cheering and hollering in excitement. Armin assumed that those kids were from wealthier villages where it was considered an honor to be chosen rather than a punishment. In his area, even in the town where Eren and Mikasa lived, getting culled meant that you were considered to be a burden on society; that you couldn't contribute enough to warrant keeping you around. The culling was an easy way to get rid of the citizens the lords didn't want, even though they were supposed to be sending the strongest and the brightest. 

Armin felt his stomach start to turn as they neared the large riverboats that would carry them over the mile wide waters of the moat and to the castle grounds. The vessels looked shiny and freshly painted red and white. Armin guessed they would be more luxurious inside than he had ever seen. Not because the new servants were anything special, but because it seemed the closer they got to the castle the more impressive and grand the standard seemed to be. It would soon be revealed that Armin couldn't walk and he would have to either be carried or dragged. No matter how inviting the pretty boats looked, Armin didn't want to leave his spot on the splintery wooden wagon with Eren and Mikasa. He just hoped they wouldn't throw him directly in the water the moment they saw he was going to be a burden. 

“Look at that idiot with the blond animal on his head,” Eren muttered, noticing how distressed Armin was. He hoped to take his best friend's mind off the situation while he still could. 

“Wh-what?” Armin looked up at Eren in confusion. 

“Look at that guy.” Eren subtly pointed to a boy on one of the parade float wagons. He was pushing his sleeve up and trying to show off his bicep like it was something to be impressed by. “He has a face like a horse and he is way more confident than he should be. He's no stronger than I am.” 

“Yeah, I guess he does look over confident,” Armin whispered in a completely deflated voice as they stopped near the boat. The crowd that had gathered to watch them in the streets followed and were staring and waiting for the new servants to board the vessels that would take them to their new life. It was a very loud affair and Armin was feeling incredibly overwhelmed. 

“Alright! Everyone out! Single file!” A man with piercing dark eyes and in armor polished to a perfect shine with golden accents called out over the noise as all the wagons came to a stop in a perfect semi-circle around him. Everything from his stature to his beautifully decorated armor told Armin he was the man in charge. He was the man that would likely decide the rest of Armin's life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin's handicap is discovered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it took me a reallllly long time to update! I honestly didn't expect that when I started and I'm sorry if you've been waiting! I took some time to really evaluate how I wanted this story to go, and It kind of took on a life of its own. It's probably going to end up being much longer than I originally anticipated, and I'm going to have to update the tags as I go. If I include anything that could be triggering, I'll do my best to warn everyone at the beginning of each chapter. Hopefully it doesn't take me so long to update the next time.

"You heard him! Get a move on, brats!” One of the guards growled and spit on the back of Eren's neck as his comrade opened the back door of their cage while the other members of the guard poked and shoved the teens through the bars to get them to exit faster. It was almost as though they were treating the teens like cattle that needed to be herded with pain and a bit of fear.

“Hey!” Eren shouted and whirled around as the other kids started filing out of the wagon. His face was full of anger and aggression and he was ready to throw a punch through the cage. It didn't matter that his target was quite obviously stronger, not to mention, armed. When Eren felt rage blossoming in his chest, he didn't think about how he could get hurt, he only cared about the pain he could inflict on someone who was a threat to himself or the ones he cared about.

“Eren not now.” Mikasa hissed as she picked Armin up. “You need to stick with Armin and make sure he's safe." She had a feeling they were going to end up being separated by gender and Armin would need Eren in one piece. Mikasa would do everything in her power to stick with her adoptive brothers, but there was no guarantee things would work out that way. None of them had ever met a vampire before or had direct contact with one of their higher up subordinates. There was no way to truly prepare for what they might face or how they might be sorted.

“Please, Eren. Don't get yourself thrown in prison.” Armin added, giving Eren a begging look. All his life Armin felt like Eren and Mikasa were constantly protecting him or giving up things they wanted for him. He would feel awful if he was the reason Eren was thrown in jail.

Eren paused in his furry, taking a few deep breaths to try to calm himself like his father had taught him. Grisha Jaeger was a Doctor and spent a lot of time working with his son on controlling his anger and rage. He counted backward from 10 and when he finished he hopped out of the cart and held his arms out for Mikasa to hand Armin to him. He was still angry, but he was able to shift his focus to caring for his friend instead of revenge.

The wagon guards didn't bat an eye at the fact that Armin was being carried. They were already aware of his handicap and honestly hoped they would be able to leave before they were called out for bringing in someone who was basically useless. Once all the teens were gathered in the center of the semi-circle of carts, they were instructed to kneel on the sandy road. Eren and Mikasa worked together wordlessly to help Armin kneel as best he could, hoping they didn't look too suspicious. 

“Listen up, brats!” The man decked out in the most lavish armor called over the noise of the excited teens to gain everyone's attention. “I'm the Commandant of the training academy where many of you will be training! Here is how this works! I'm only going to say it once so pay attention!” He motioned to the red and white ferry boats docked close by with their bridges already in place. “You're getting on those boats. You will be fed on the way over to the island, but don't get comfortable. You're not here on vacation. Once we land, you will be separated by gender and stripped of your clothes to be assessed for your new position of servitude. Boy's will more than likely join cadet training, while girls will be given a job in the castle, serving, cleaning, and keeping our lords and ladies happy. A few of you may be selected as personal assistants to our vampire masters. I think you all know what that means. Boys are not excluded from this! You will not speak unless spoken to! You will behave in a manner appropriate for the royalty you serve! You will address your superiors as Sir! Do I make myself clear?!”

“Sir, yes, Sir!” The majority of the teens shouted jubilantly. It was easy to tell that they were from the wealthier cities where it was considered an honor to serve the vampire royalty.

“I can't hear you!” Their current leader shouted louder, casting a glance to the less fortunate souls, some of which were practically cowering.

“Sir, yes, Sir!” Everyone shouted this time. Eren's voice came out as more of a growl close to Armin's ear. He still sounded angry, and in a way, that was almost more terrifying than what was to come. Armin knew where he was going. There was no way around it. However he knew Eren wouldn't be able to let him go, and Armin didn't want the same fate for his friend. He was much more worried about Eren's reactions than his own fate. He glanced at Mikasa, who seemed to understand the look he was giving her. They had spent so much time together growing up that all three of them could communicate silently most of the time. She nodded to him wordlessly, a silent promise that she would keep Eren safe no matter what.

“On your feet, Brats!” The commandant shouted and pointed to the boats.

Mikasa was up in a split second, maneuvering Armin onto Eren's back. “I'll walk closely behind, hopefully, no one will notice.” She whispered to both of them. As they walked towards the ferries, surrounded by their peers. Armin could feel Mikasa right up against him. It was actually comforting to be sandwiched between his two best friends while it lasted. Armin knew today would likely be the last he ever saw of either of them.

“Don't worry, Armin, I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you, or let anyone take you away.” Eren whispered as they joined the throng of other new servants and soldiers up the bridge and into the interior of one of the ferries.

Armin frowned. That was exactly the kind of attitude he was afraid Eren would have. “Will you do something for me, Eren?” Armin asked as they entered the royal red interior of the ferry. The walls and table cloths were both a deep red, like the color of dark, fresh blood, while the furniture was hard oak with golden accents. It seemed almost foreboding, the colors a stark reminder of who they truly belonged to. 

“Anything!” Eren replied immediately as he quickly found a small table in the back corner for them to sit at. He let Armin slide off his back and onto the seat closest to the window. He made sure to push Armin's chair in so that he could support himself with his upper half.

“Promise me you'll do whatever it takes to stay alive. No matter what happens to me. Stay alive so that I don't feel like I'm dragging you down with me.” Armin pleaded, close to tears as Eren sat beside him, and Mikasa across from him. Deep down, he knew Eren wouldn't be able to promise something like that, but he had to try. 

“Armin, don't talk like that! Nothing is going to happen to you! I'll make sure of it! I won't let anyone-”

“Hey, mind if I sit here?” The tall, two-tone-haired boy Eren had pointed out earlier interrupted them as he took a seat next to Mikasa. He was dressed in sturdy brown pants and a white shirt with a small bit of lace at the collar and sleeves. His hair looked freshly washed, and there wasn't a trace of dirt under any of his nails. 

"Yeah. We do." Eren growled, bristling at having his space and conversation invaded. 

"It's fine," Mikasa said, giving Eren a kick under the table. The less commotion they caused, the longer they would have before Armin was taken away. Not to mention, if Eren was going to lose his shit, it would be safer for everyone if they were on dry land. 

"Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight, I just needed a place to sit. My name is Jean, by the way." The tall boy replied as he casually rested his arm on the back of Mikasa's chair. "Besides, you three look interesting. The outlier towns must have become much more savage than I thought if they had to bring you in a cage." 

Eren's fists clenched and his throat vibrated in a growl as he moved to stand up. The entire ferry was packed and noisy. There wasn't room for a fist fight, but Eren didn't care. He was barely keeping it together and this new guy was only aggravating him further. 

Armin just rolled his eyes and put a hand on Eren's thigh, squeezing in a warning. It just barely kept Eren in his seat. "We aren't really that savage. It's just a stigma to be culled where we come from. They use the cage to keep kids from running away." Armin explained quietly as a woman in a perfectly pressed maid's dress set down four teacups and saucers while another maid set down a teapot, cream, and sugar. She then proceeded to pour them each a cup and then stood there, waiting silently. 

"Thank you, ma'am," Jean said, expecting her to leave so they could continue their conversation. 

"You must drink." She insisted and pointed to the white and gold tea set. 

Armin was the first to move. He didn't feel the need to be suspicious since he'd be lucky to even end up in prison anyway. He dumped a spoonful of sugar in his tea and added plenty of cream. Sugar was a luxury he rarely got to enjoy, and even though the dark tea was quite bitter, he really didn't mind with all the sugar he'd put in. "It's not so bad." He said after taking a sip. It reminded him of the tea the Jaegers always served, but stronger. 

"Do you feel okay?" Eren asked worriedly. 

"I feel fine, Eren. They wouldn't have culled us just to poison us." Armin replied and hugged the warm mug in his cold hands. "Besides, it's a lot like the tea your mom makes." 

Eren's face visibly fell as everyone else started preparing their own tea. The dark brew in front of him did indeed smell like the tea his mom made. It was bitter with an acidic quality that seemed to linger in his mouth, making his insides itch. Eren hated that tea, but he always drank it because his mom made it for him. Reluctantly, the brunette poured several spoons of sugar in his cup and stirred it around with some cream before bringing it to his lips and drinking it all down in one gulp, just to satisfy their waitress. 

Once she had observed that everyone had tried the tea, the woman left without another word. Armin watched her go, thinking that her behavior seemed a bit odd. Though he had never really been served in such a luxurious setting before, so he wondered if maybe this was actually normal. The only time he'd ever eaten at a restaurant was when the Jager's took him, but that had only happened a couple times.

"Well, that was weird," Jean muttered quietly, interrupting Armin's thoughts.He leaned into the others and Whispered, "I wonder why they served us wolfsbane tea." 

"Wolfsbane?" Armin asked as he looked down into his cup. 

"Yeah... it won't hurt you unless you're a werewolf. Though, it does taste pretty nasty." Jean replied. 

"I know what wolfsbane is, I just never realized I've had it before," Armin replied, looking at his two best friends. 

"That shit is fucking disgusting and I swore that my mother would be the only one I drank it for," Eren complained and pushed his cup away from himself in distaste. 

"Yeah, but you have to wonder how many wolves they think will be on this boat. I'd love to see one in person." Jean replied, looking around the cabin as they all felt the boat push away from the dock and out into the water. Armin swayed and almost toppled into Eren at the sudden lurch, drawing Jean's attention back to them. "So who are you guys anyway? Where are you from?" He asked as he watched Eren help Armin to sit back up straight. He raised a brow at them but didn't say anything. 

"We're from Shiganshina. Got a problem with that?" Eren scowled. He was still angry that this guy was interrupting any time he had with Armin and Mikasa to come up with a plan to keep Armin safe. Not to mention his condescending attitude grated on Eren's nerves. 

"That's the town with the deranged wolf attacks, right?" Jean asked, unfazed by Eren. "What are your names? We'll be working together, right? We should be acquainted." He looked over at Mikasa, obviously more interested in her name than the others. 

"I'm Mikasa, that's my brother, Eren, and our friend, Armin." Mikasa pointed while Eren gave her a dirty look for introducing him. 

"Great, so now that you know our names you can go!" Eren's tone left no room for argument. 

"Eren, it's not that big of a deal," Armin said quietly as their waitress came back with their breakfast. He really didn't want to go back to listening to how Eren was going to keep him safe. There was nothing Eren could actually do, and the last thing Armin wanted was for his friends to get hurt because of him. They'd already saved him countless times, never once considering their own needs. Just this once, Armin wanted to be let go of. He couldn't handle the guilt of hurting them more. 

"Like hell it is! No one asked him to join us!" Eren glared across the table as plates of eggs, bacon, and sweet rolls were placed in front of all four of them. After drinking his tea, Eren had quite lost his appetite and was feeling sick. The rocking of the boat didn't help, and everything was putting him even more on edge. 

"Eren, I really just want to enjoy my last meal with you and Mikasa before I'm taken away. Please. For me?" Armin looked pleadingly up at his best friend. 

"Taken away?" Jean raised a brow. "What do you mean by that?" 

"It's none of your damn business, horse shit!" Eren growled at the taller boy as he started giving Armin his sweet rolls. He knew his best friend loved sweets, and he didn't think he could stomach them anyway. 

"Look, all of us are useful somehow. You three won't be able to stay together, but we're all working in the same place. I'm sure we'll see each other around." Jean said as he glanced at Mikasa again. She was the only one he seemed really interested in talking to, but there was something about the trio that made him interested to know more. 

"Where Eren goes, I go," Mikasa said quietly, but resolutely. 

"Um...I don't think it works like that. You're a girl." Jean said casually as he picked up his fork. "Boys are almost exclusively put into military training, and girls only have maid's jobs."

"Girl or not, I'm just as useful as any boy. I can fight better than most." Her words were cold and emotionless and sounded almost like a threat. 

"And where Armin goes, I go!" Eren announced firmly, putting a hand on Armin's shoulder and looking over at Mikasa. If she was determined enough to join the military just to stay with him, he was twice as determined to keep Armin safe. 

"You do realize that you don't really get a choice, right?" Jean raised his brows as Armin hid his face in his hands. "If you become too difficult they throw you in jail." 

"That's fine by me," Eren replied as he picked at his food. 

"You're an idiot." Armin pushed Eren's arm off of him. "You have a chance to make something of yourself! If you join the military, you'll be able to go on all the adventures you've always talked about! Ever since we were young, you always wanted to be a soldier! You wanted to be the best! Don't throw that away! I'll never forgive you if you follow me to prison!" Armin's eyes were glassy, but he refused to let the tears fall. He would have time to cry later. 

"Armin, They were your dreams too! You're the one that told me stories of the world outside of our village! I'm not leaving you!" Eren practically shouted, drawing the attention of a few of the guards. 

"Why do you think you're going to jail?" Jean asked, not paying attention to the approaching man in armor. 

"My legs don't work! I can't walk! I can't do anything!" Armin answered. The pain that was still throbbing in his forehead along with his frustration with Eren had him speaking more harshly and tearfully than normal. 

"I suggest you two shut up unless you want to get caught," Mikasa warned quietly. Despite having her back turned, her keen awareness alerted her to the approaching commandant. 

Eren set his jaw in a scowl, grinding his teeth, while Armin quickly stuffed a sweet roll in his mouth and almost moaned at the flavor. He was determined to enjoy his meal. 

"Did you not hear that you were to behave?!" The commandant growled when he reached their table. "Or are you too barbaric to understand what manners are?" His voice was gruff and threatening and had all four teens looking down with closed mouths. "I asked you a question, brats!" 

"We're sorry, sir. It won't happen again." Jean looked up, flashing the man a golden smile. He was accustomed to getting out of things because of his family's status. He didn't expect this to be different. 

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face, boy!" He growled. "One more outburst from you lot and you'll be beaten as soon as we get to shore!" He turned on his heel and stalked off, leaving them to either obey or not. It wouldn't be bad to have an example made of them in front of everyone to instill fear into the hearts of the newcomers. However, he wouldn't need to make an example of all of them. Just the lame kid would do. The new recruits would have a front row seat to find out just what would happen when your use ran out. 

Armin and the others remained nearly silent for the rest of the ferry ride. Eren quietly insisted that Armin eat all of his sweet rolls, which were gladly received, while the rest of them ate their eggs and bacon as quietly as possible until they docked. As soon as the boat came to a halt and everyone stood up, Eren and Mikasa lifted Armin onto Eren's back again. They tried to move as swiftly as possible to avoid detection, which wasn't difficult with everyone on the ferry getting up and moving at the same time.

Armin hugged Eren tightly around the neck and breathed in his scent as they descended from the ferry onto dry land. He could feel his heart pounding harder in his chest because he knew that it wouldn't be long until he was taken away. Armin didn't even look up at his surroundings as Eren followed the crowd up the sandy beach and through the intricately designed iron gates that allowed access through the thick stone wall surrounding the castle and training grounds. 

"This place is fucking huge." Armin heard Jean say as they entered the interior. He glanced up and saw a vast expanse of green lawn in front of a lavish looking sandstone palace. To the left, Armin noticed there were a few smaller buildings dotting the hilly landscape. He figured they were probably stables considering there were pastures and horses close by. On the right, Armin observed a large patch of bare land that looked unnaturally level. It appeared there were already soldiers running drills and engaged in fighting. He assumed that must be the training grounds. 

"Try not to get lost then," Eren growled, still irritated with the tall boy. 

"Everyone halt!" The Commandant called over the crowd of teenagers, gaining their attention. They were half way up the wide stone walkway to the front door of the palace. The tall iron gates were closing behind them, giving some of the more nervous individuals a sense of entrapment. "Once we go through the front door, the girls will be lead to the left, and the boys to the right. You will be stripped, bathed, and given your new position. Orientation begins immediately after. However! There is something I'd like to make quite clear to you! I know some of you do not wish to be here! You may feel as though you've been taken against your will when instead you should feel honored! Here you will always have a purpose as long as you work hard! There is no place here for people without purpose! When you no longer have a purpose, your body will be used as a human blood factory! For example!" The armored man looked directly at Armin on Eren's back and pushed his way through the crowd over to them. 

Eren set his jaw and gently set Armin down. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone touch you." He growled lowly and then took a fighting stance with his fists up, stepping in front of his best friend protectively. "Take one more step towards him and I'll rip your throat out!" He barked up at the oncoming man, sounding more ferocious than his thin body really was. 

The guard laughed down at him and with one blow, knocked into the side of Eren's head right at his temple. The force of the punched caused Eren to fall down in a heap, temporarily passed out. The crowd of teenagers around them was deadly silent except for Armin and Mikasa who both screamed for Eren in unison. Mikasa rushed to Eren's side while the guard picked Armin by the front of his nightshirt. Armin's feet lifted off the ground and the fabric of his shirt dug in around his armpits to support his weight. "You're the boy who can't walk, isn't that right?" He growled in Armin's face. His breath stunk of rotten meat and beer. 

Armin cringed and nodded as he tried not to breathe in the stench of stale breath. 

"Say it! Tell them why you are of no use here!" The man shouted in Armin's face as he held him up even higher. 

"M-my legs don't work!" Armin cried out as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Even though he had been anticipating this, he hadn't expected to feel so humiliated. 

"That's right! And since you're no use otherwise, we're just going to use you as vamp food!" The man yelled and dropped Armin to the ground to demonstrate the uselessness of his legs. 

Armin fell in a heap, with an audible sound of bone cracking. The tiny blond boy didn't feel it, but when he looked, one of his legs didn't appear to be the right shape. He felt sick just looking at it, but was lifted over the commandant's shoulder before he even had a chance to examine it. While dangling over his back, Armin pressed his hands against tight muscle to be able to look back at Eren and Mikasa. Eren was just coming to, and was trying to get up and chase after him, while Mikasa fought to hold him back. He could see that she was crying and when she accidentally caught his eye, he found immense guilt in her dark orbs. Armin tore his gaze away and tried to tune out Eren's screams for him and the sound of his two best friends fighting. He didn't want to remember them this way. He just wanted to remember the happy times. 

"Get him a cell and tell Doctor Hanji she has a new experiment!" The commandant said as he handed Armin over to one of his subordinates. Armin's eyes were so full of tears he couldn't see where he was being taken. Being taken to a cell, he understood, but becoming an experiment was something he didn't expect and it scared him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, this chapter was to your liking. Kudos and comments motivate me, and I'm always eager to hear your thoughts. Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't quite as long as I would like, but we do get to meet Vampire Levi!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I should probably mention that my stories don't have a beta, so please forgive me if I seem redundant or if I leave something out. Also feel free to point anything out to me.

“Mikasa, what the fuck?!” Eren screamed as he tried to pull out of her tight grasp. He had barely managed to stand up before they both toppled over onto the smooth stones. “Let me go! If you won't protect Armin than I will! How can you just let him go?!”

“Eren, I don't want to do this.” Mikasa's voice cracked as she held onto her brother. His weight and his nonstop movement caused the skin on her arms and the backs of her hands to be scraped raw and bleeding on the graveled path, but she didn't let go. She couldn't. She'd promised Armin that she'd take care of Eren, and there was nothing she wouldn't do to keep her brother safe.

Eren clawed at the stone path, trying to get away when he felt something heavy and stiff press the side of his face into the ground. It would have hurt if Eren could have felt pain in that moment, but he was too blinded by anger. When he looked up, the commandant was standing over him with a boot pushing down on his cheek. The sight of the man only infuriated Eren further, and he didn't hesitate to grab at the boot in a feeble attempt to lift it from his face. “You asshole! Bring Armin back! Bring him back!”

The commandant just ground Eren's face into the stones harder and patiently waited for Eren to stop struggling. It was at least ten minutes before Eren gave up and rested his angry fists on the ground. “If you're done throwing your temper tantrum now, I'd like if we could move things along.” The commandant said in a condescending tone as he lifted his foot and pivoted away. “Oh, and if you're thinking of causing any more trouble, I won't hesitate to send one of my men to hurt your little friend. He may not be able to feel his legs, but I bet he'd feel each one of his fingers being broken.” He threatened, just as Eren was getting to his feet, ready to charge.

Eren stopped dead and felt physically sick as he watched the commandant walk back towards the front of the group of teenagers. He felt like his blood was boiling with anger and he could feel his fists shaking. He swore to himself that he would make the commandant pay somehow and that he would free Armin. He would figure out a way to break Armin out, get off the island and run away to where no one would find them. He didn't know how yet, and until he could make a plan he would play along, but it would only ever be an act.

“Eren...” Mikasa said softly as she put a hand on Eren's shoulder.

Eren flinched and whirled around to glare at her. “Don't touch me!” He spat and turned back around as the commandant commanded everyone to enter the castle. At the moment he wanted nothing to do with his sister.

“Let him cool off. You did the right thing.” Jean whispered gently and lightly brushed her shoulder to get her to move forward with everyone else.

“I hurt both of them. Armin's eyes said he felt betrayed and Eren will never forgive me.” Mikasa said, emotionless. She had to pull herself together if she was going to keep her promise and protect Eren. As much as she was feeling emotional pain on the inside, she didn't want to show it. Her stoic face was the only armor she had in that moment.

As they entered the castle, all the girls automatically went to the left where a woman was waiting for them. The boys followed the commandant to the right, as previously instructed. The entire group was unusually quiet after the way Armin was forcefully removed. Most people looked grim, though a few just seemed to be respectfully quiet, even if they were indifferent to what happened. Mikasa moved with the boys, staying close to Eren, but a few steps behind him. She wasn't about to let her gender dictate her actions. She'd made a promise to Armin, herself and even Eren's mother to protect her brother, and to her, that meant not letting Eren out of her sight.

“Um...Shouldn't you-”

“Shush.” Mikasa cut Jean off who was still sticking close to her. “I'm staying with him.” The look she gave Jean as they walked through the castle was practically a death glare, and it effectively shut him up, even if it didn't push him away. They walked through a long hallway, passing several rooms with huge dark stained oak doors, that were ornately carved. The interior of the castle was even more lavish and luxurious looking than the ferry, but it maintained the same red and gold theme. The carpet they walked on was plush and squishy underfoot, while the walls were decorated with intricately woven tapestries and huge paintings framed in gold. When they finally reached their destination, the commandant pushed open the doors to a large room. Unlike the hallway, the floor was bare stone but polished until it was smooth. There were six large pools that looked like they could easily fit ten or more people, and shelves of towels and scented soaps. There were quite a few scantily clad maids around too, that looked ready to assist with buckets containing sponges and brushes for washing.

“You will all take off your clothes and put them in that bin.” The commandant announced and pointed to a large cloth lined basket. “Apparently Captain Levi will be your inspecting officer, so you will have to let the maids wash you. He doesn't trust you to do it yourselves, but don't get used to the special treatment. When you're training with me, you will clean your own bodies, and so help you if I smell your body odor after your showers!” The commandant rolled his eyes and left the room without noticing Mikasa.

“Alright. I'll be the one to say it.” A short bald kid announced to the room as soon as the doors were shut again. He'd been casting confused glances at Mikasa ever since they separated from the girls. “Why is she still here?” He pointed at the raven haired girl.

“Mikasa, what the fuck?!” Eren's mouth dropped open when he turned around to see his sister standing in the middle of a group of guys that were all about to get undressed.

“I promised I'd watch over you,” Mikasa replied, her face looking unconcerned.

“I don't need you to watch me bathe!” Eren snapped, feeling embarrassed that his sister had followed him into the bath, but also protective because of all the guys that were now staring at her.

“It's nothing I haven't seen before.” She shrugged and removed her pale pink sweater.

“Wait. What are you doing? You're not bathing with us!” Eren crossed his arms over his chest as if he thought he could tell her what to do.

“Yeah, I'm not really comfortable bathing with her here.” Baldy crossed his arms too.

“What's the matter? Do you have something to hide?” Jean asked as he removed his shirt to reveal a slightly defined chest. He wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to show off and potentially see this beautiful girl naked. Even if she didn't bathe with them, he wasn't going to complain about being washed by a pretty maid.

“No!” He said defensively and removed his own shirt to prove his point. Some of the other boys started undressing as well, not caring that there was one extra girl in the room. So what if she wasn't a maid.

“Mikasa, you can't do this!” Eren looked horrified as she removed her shoes. He put a hand on her shoulder to try to stop her from taking anything else off.

“Let her do what she wants!” One boy called out while another wolf whistled.

The noise caused Eren to bristle and he glared around the room, looking for anyone that was ogling his sister. “Who said that?! I will rip anyone's throat out that comes near my sister!” He shouted, hands clenched into fists, and ready to fight. There were some chuckles and growls coming from all around the room. It was difficult to tell who they belonged to with the way noise echoed off the stone walls. 

 

“Well, this has never happened before.” A smooth, quiet voice broke the rising tension. Everyone turned to stare at the person who had just entered the room. He was shorter than most, but his presence took up more space than even the largest among them. His jet black hair looked softer than satin, and his pale skin looked smoother than even the most polished stone. Silver eyes looked like they could see right into your soul as he glanced around the room at each person. When his eyes finally settled on Eren and Mikasa, he licked his lips and sharp pointed fangs were just barely visible. He approached them quietly as everyone else froze and remained impressively silent. “So...you want to train to be a soldier?” He asked Mikasa directly, though he was not ignoring Eren's presence.

“I refuse to leave my brother, but I also know I have more use as a soldier than as a servant,” Mikasa replied confidently even though the short vampire had everyone else intimidated.

“And you don't want her to, because?” He looked at Eren.

“I don't need a babysitter!” Eren growled. I'm not some snot nosed toddler, and I don't like the way everyone is looking at her like she's a piece of meat!” He glanced up at Jean pointedly.

The vampire contemplated them for a moment. It was unusual for humans to feel anything but fear while in his presence. At least at first. Usually, their instincts told them they were prey, but these two didn't seem to be affected at all. “If I let you join the cadet training, you won't get any special treatment. No separate room to sleep and no separate time to shower. You'll be treated as a boy and expected to keep up with them.” He said to Mikasa, wondering how far she was willing to take this game, or even if it was a game to her.

“No offense, Sir, but I hope everyone else can keep up with me,” Mikasa replied, not quite meeting his eyes.

The vampire considered her words. She didn't sound cocky, only confident in herself, and the idea of being surrounded by boys didn't seem to bother her in the least. "You realize that if you complete training, you won't be guaranteed to be stationed with him. training to be a soldier is only a temporary solution to you staying with him. Do you understand that?" 

"Yes. But I will always do everything within my power to stay by his side and protect him." Mikasa replied causing several of the guys to quietly snicker.

“Alright, you have one week to prove yourself, cadet. If I think you're worthy of a place in the guard, I'll let you stay, and you'll be treated the same as the boys, but if you don't impress me, you'll be serving just like the other girls.”

Eren just rolled his eyes and groaned. He still hadn't forgiven her for letting Armin be taken, and he already hated when she tried to mother him.

“Is there going to be a problem?” The vampire looked at Eren.

“No.” Eren grit his teeth and started removing his clothes.

“My name is Captain Levi, and you will address me as Captain, or Sir,” Levi said to the whole room but looked at Eren.

“Yes, Sir,” Eren said with as much respect as he could muster as he threw his clothes in the bin. He hoped that the bath water would help calm him after the vampire left. What he didn't expect was for Captain Levi to start undressing as well. What he really didn't expect was to forget what he was doing to stare as first his dark green cloak disappeared, and then his vest, and then his ascot, and then the buttons of Captain Levi's shirt began to open as his perfect hands moved down his chest.

“Like what you see, Cadet?” The captain asked as he tossed his clothes in a separate bin and began undoing his pants. The vampire had clearly defined muscles on his torso, arms, and thighs. He looked like he would be very strong for a human, though vampires already possessed superhuman strength. 

Several more snickers from around the room could be heard and Eren suddenly realized that everyone was naked now, including his sister, and he was the only one not in one of the tubs excluding Captain Levi. His face turned red with embarrassment, and he moved as quickly as possible to finish removing his clothes and jump in one of the pools. The water was warm, which was nice until he looked up and realized that he had got into the same pool as Mikasa who had Jean sitting right next to her. He looked away from her, unable to make eye contact while they were bathing together, but he made the mistake of looking at Jean instead who glanced down at Eren's lap with a smirk. Eren glared at Jean as his face began to heat up again. He knew he was half hard, but he had hoped it wouldn't be obvious under the water. The fucker across from him was practically asking to be punched in the face. The fact that Mikasa was being washed right beside Jean was the only thing keeping Eren in check. Instead, he turned his head the other way and was met with the sight of Captain Levi, fully naked and washing his own, perfect body in the only unoccupied pool. Eren's face became even redder and he jumped when one of the maids gently touched his shoulder to let him know she was going to wash him next.

******

Armin's eyes were so full of tears he couldn't see his surroundings clearly. Not that he thought he needed to. There was no way for him to escape, even if he could somehow map out the layout of the castle and grounds. Not only could he not walk, but he also wouldn't be able to swim to freedom or make it past the numerous guards on patrol. He had accepted that he was a prisoner, but he hadn't expected it to be so hard to be ripped away from his friends. He barely realized when they'd moved underground but the cool damp air was enough to give his forehead some relief. He opened his eyes and did notice the sharp contrast in the dim light of lanterns as opposed to the bright morning sky. He also noticed how dingy, grimy and inglorious it was compared to the rest of the hospitality he'd seen so far. He wondered how Eren and Mikasa were doing and if the castle looked as grand on the inside as he had expected it to be. 

"It's a shame, someone, as pretty as you has to become an experiment. I'd hate to see you turned into one of those wolf experiments. I've heard it's painful and distorts your features as you become a mindless animal." The guard carrying Armin said softly as he unlocked an empty cell door made of strong metal bars. 

Armin didn't reply at first. He didn't know what to say. He thought about begging to be treated like a regular prisoner, but maybe he would just die sooner if he became an experiment. He didn't want to be a useless life form being held in a cell for as long as his body could live. He knew he was worth more than that. At least his brain was. "Wait! I can read and write! Isn't there a way I could still be useful? I could be an assistant or something! Please! Vampire blood heals, right? I could walk again and be helpful!" Armin advocated for himself. 

He was dropped on the cold hard stone with another thud and kicked in the stomach. "Do you really think you deserve vampire blood? You think above your station, boy! No vampire is going to give a filthy kid like you, their damn blood! You have two options. Pleasure me whenever I want and I'll make sure you're not only a regular prisoner, but that you're treated well too, or become an experiment!" The guard growled and kicked Armin again for good measure. 

Armin curled in on himself, feeling pain blossom in his soft belly. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on his words and gathering his breath. "I...I'll just be an experiment." He grunted out. There was no way he was going to get himself into a blackmail situation, especially not from someone who smelled like they didn't bathe regularly. 

"You'll regret that!" The guard growled and lifted Armin's up by his neck and pushed him down into the thin mattresses. "Let's see how you do with no food and water for a while. Maybe you'll change your mind." He huffed and stormed off to tell the warden to restrict Armin's diet. 

Armin lay still on the bed listening to the guard's footsteps echoing away from him. When he could no longer hear anything, the broken blonde felt very alone and he began to weep quietly as despair made a home in his heart. This was the final chapter for him. He would never see his friends again, or Grandpa, or even the sun. He knew he was literally laying on his death bed, and the only thing left to hope for was a swift end to his emotional anguish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that love Armin and hate me for how miserable he is right now, his life will get better... eventually. Just bare with me for a little longer and you'll get to meet Vampire Erwin!
> 
> As always comments and kudos motivate me, and I always love hearing your thoughts about my story. Questions and suggestions are always welcome. You can come find me on my Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kingarthur42 I'm trying to be more active on it, but if you message me and I don't get back to you right away, please don't take it personally.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter focuses on Eren and Mikasa as they learn a little more about themselves and their new environment. We meet Hanji. Armin's story develops a little bit more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for some reason, I have very little confidence in posting this chapter. I'm not sure why. It fits the goals I set for it, but I still feel insecure about it. Hopefully, that doesn't show in my writing, but I am sorry if it falls short of expectations.
> 
> Just a warning, there is some dubcon in this chapter. It's brief, but I don't want to trigger anyone.

After everyone was finished bathing and drying off, they were lead in the nude to a new room where they were to be presented to some of the elite vampires for consideration. A few servants ushered them into a large open room where white marble pillars stretched up to the arched ceiling. Grand chandeliers illuminated the gold accented room in a warm, but dim glow. The atmosphere felt as though it were evening, even though it was broad daylight outside. The humans were made to line up under the brightest chandeliers in the middle of the room. Some of the boys looked highly uncomfortable and covered their fronts, while others seemed perfectly pleased to be in the nude. The atmosphere changed however when the vampires began to trickle in and gather around to look at all the boys. They maintained a respectful distance, but it didn't stop the humans from feeling more vulnerable than they ever had in their lives. Bathing with Captain Levi in the room was one thing, but standing around naked in a room full of hungry looking vampires was another matter entirely. 

Eren was a bit surprised to see that not all of the vampires to come to look at them were female as he'd expected. Quite a few of them were actually men, and it made him question their intentions. It was rumored in his village that a Vampire assistant was just a slightly more respectful way of denoting someone who served with their blood and their body in a sexual way. All his life, Eren had seen couples that were one man and one woman and the idea of anything else was foreign to him. 

"I wonder if Levi realizes that he let a girl in here? It's not like him to not notice details. Especially glaring ones like this. Though she is beautiful, I'll give her that." One of the Vampires said with mock apathy as he approached Mikasa. He was wearing an ascot and clothes similar to Captain Levi. Like all the other vampires, his skin was flawless and the curly hair on top of his head silky, however, he didn't look as young as some of the others. A few wrinkles adorned his eyes and the corners of his mouth, and a few gray hairs were visible. 

"Leave her alone!" Eren growled and stepped in front of a Mikasa. He gritted his teeth and did his best to stare down the vampire, despite how intimidated he was. 

"What's this? A human that's not afraid? You do know what we are, don't you, boy? We're vampires. We drink your blood and our venom can cloud your mind and make you do whatever we want. One bite from me, and I could have you begging me to feed on you. Not that I would though. You're much too plain for me. I only desire the finest of flowers to drink from. A vampire of my status would never settle for anything less than perfect. " The vampire droned and finally turned his attention back to Mikasa. 

"Oruo, if you pick her as your assistant, everyone is going to think it's only because she looks like Levi. It's really embarrassing." A female Vampire with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair said seriously. She looked a little embarrassed to be seen with the one called Oruo. 

"Petra dear, there is no need to be jealous. I've told you countless times you're welcome to come to my chambers whenever you please." Oruo replied and took a step closer to Eren and Mikasa. 

"Don't come any closer!" Eren shouted. 

"Enough. Down boy." Levi said as he entered the room with a much older looking Vampire following after him. 

Eren froze and looked over to see Levi fully dressed in a suit that hugged his frame perfectly. He could feel his ears heating up and he tore his eyes away from the smaller vampire to look back at Oruo in the hopes that his less than appealing face would help Eren keep his body in check. 

"Oruo, that girl isn't available. I need her for something else. She's my test subject to see if we should consider adding women to our military." Levi said dominantly and then turned back to the naked humans. "This is Darius. He's our chief magical trainer. In his hand is an orb that can detect magical abilities. It will glow with a color that directly correlates to your most dominant inherent power. The intensity of the glow will show the amount of magic power you possess. You'll be joining the cadets regardless of what color or even if the orb glows at all. This is just for us to see who should receive special training." He stood aside to let Darius take the orb to each boy to touch. 

Darius had white hair and a full beard. He wore spectacles in front of eyes that sparkled with intelligence. He was heavier set than all the other vampires in the room, but he was no less beautiful. He went up to each boy and held out the orb. It shone for most in varying colors, but a few barely had a glow. When he got to Jean, the orb lit up with a smoky orange mist. "Ah. I see you're a natural with Animals." Darius said and looked behind him. "Ness, if you're looking for an assistant, this one might be for you." 

Jean's body went rigid and he took a step back as a vampire with a white bandanna on his head approached. 

"He's not bad looking, but I'd like to see him go through training first." The vampire replied and went back to mingling as a few maids brought out trays with red wine that looked suspiciously like blood. 

Darius moved on to Mikasa and held out the orb for her. She placed her hand on it and the orb immediately turned pitch black. "Black is the color of tangible power. It's rare to have that as your dominant trait or even something you can wield at all." Darius said to Mikasa and looked over at Levi. "I can see why you put her off limits. It will be very interesting to see what she can do in training. Her magic is very strong. Almost as strong as your black power." 

"What does that mean? Black power?" Eren asked as Darius moved over to him and he put his hand on the orb. Eren suddenly felt a rush of energy swirling up inside of him and being channeled through his hand into the globe. It felt like his fingertips were burning, but it didn't hurt.

"Black is merely the color that denotes the type of dominant power a person possesses. Most people are more drawn to an element or a specific set of tasks, but to have black means that you have a great amount of pure power at your disposal to manipulate into whatever shape or weapon you choose. They can even imitate the other elements." Darius explained as the orb turned into a raging red color under Eren's hand. The whole room was cast in a red light until he pulled his hand away. “You have a raging fire within you. Red is the color of fire, and I suspect you're hot tempered as well. You'll be training under Oruo." 

Eren looked back at his hand, wondering where his power had come from. He had never felt such a surge in energy except when he was angry. "But wait, when I was tested in school they said I had no magical ability at all!" He blurted out, looking for more answers. 

"Ah, I'm assuming they tested you during puberty. Those results aren't always accurate." Darius replied as a tall boy with dark hair and freckles caused the orb to glow green. "But there will be plenty of time for questions during training." 

Eren continued to ponder and focus on his hand. Maybe if he could start a fire there would be so much commotion that he could sneak out and find Armin. He tried to channel the energy again but without the orb sucking it out of him, it seemed impossible. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that when he looked up again he saw that a few boys had been selected to be vampire assistants. They were standing nervously beside their new masters as they were sniffed and their necks licked at. Eren's eyes went wide when one by one the boys were bitten. Their bodies became stiff from the initial pain and then relaxed, going almost limp. Their expressions changed from fear to bliss, even ecstasy, and arousal. The sight made Eren sick. Humans weren't supposed to be treated this way. They weren't meant to be ruled by beings that could take away your self-control, and imprison the lame. Armin was going to have experiments done on him just because he couldn't walk. The thoughts angered Eren and he felt his energy level rising so high he was giving himself a headache. He focused on his hand again, trying to somehow light a flame. His heart was pounding in his chest as his fury surged through him and he blocked out everything else. Finally, he saw a spark. It was tiny, but it was there. He was sure of it.

"Hey. Brat."

 Eren barely heard Captain Levi speaking to him. It wasn't until he felt a pain in his neck that he lost his anger filled focus. "What the hell?!" 

"Eren!" Mikasa cried and tried to move forward to protect her brother. Jean held her back with more strength than he looked like he possessed. 

Eren pushed at Levi's chest, trying to get the vampire off of him. He was struggling until he felt a warm, pleasant sensation in his neck, replacing the pain. It made his mind feel fuzzy and his limbs weak. He could feel that he was falling, but there were strong arms around him, letting him down on the floor gently. Eren moaned and moved his body closer to Levi's. His hips ground up into the vampire's in a sort of desperation he'd never felt before. It didn't even occur to Eren that just moments ago he'd found this behavior vulgar and disgusting. When his mind finally cleared, he was laying on the soft carpet of the floor with a dampness on his neck and on his groin area. 

"Wow. He's certainly susceptible to your venom, Levi. He barely lasted a minute." A vampire Eren hadn't noticed yet said with fascination. She was wearing glasses and had her messy brown hair tied up on her head. Despite the fact that she obviously didn't care about her appearance, she was still beautiful in a slightly androgynous sort of way. 

"Yeah, and now his cum is all over my clothes," Levi said irritably, as he leaned over Eren again. "I took a lot of your blood. You're going to feel fatigued for quite a while. Don't try to use magic again until your taught how. I won't hesitate to drain you dry if you become a problem. Understand?" 

"Y-yeah." Eren tried to lift his head but found that he felt almost too dizzy and weak to move. 

"Good. Oruo. I'm leaving you in charge for now. Get them their uniforms and show them the barracks. I'm going to change my clothes. Hanji. A word." Levi said as he stood up and grabbed the vampire with glasses to lead her out of the room. 

"Alright cadets. Now that you're in my care, I suppose I'll have to show you around. Most of the rooms in here you can't go into. Only soldiers with the highest clearance are allowed inside." Oruo smirked as he headed for the exit. "Come on. Some of us are very busy, you know. Not that I expect your meager minds to understand." 

Eren tried to get up, but he had to rely on Mikasa to half carry him out the door with the other boys. 

"Eren, are you alright?" Mikasa asked quietly. "You looked-" 

"Don't. Don't tell me what I looked like. I'm sure it was embarrassing enough." Eren interrupted weakly. They were starting to fall behind the group, except for Jean who was hovering annoyingly. 

Mikasa decided to pick Eren up and carry him bridal style so they could catch up. She wasn't surprised when Eren passed out, as that was his body's way of recovering. She knew when he awoke that he'd feel much better. She just hoped it was before Oruo noticed. 

It didn't take them long to walk to their first destination. It was another room within the castle, but this one was much less fancy, with plain stone walls and an un-carpeted floor. This room was a working room filled with bolts of fabric, sewing machines, and racks upon racks of clothes. In one corner of the room was a large wooden desk where an older woman sat with pencil and paper. Her assistants stood nearby, two with a measuring tape and a few more stationed near racks of black clothing. 

"I want you all to line up and approach the desk one at a time. You'll be measured for your uniforms and given some clothes, once you have them in hand, you can get dressed. Don't forget your orb color, and don't hold things up by flirting." Oruo said in a bored tone as he pointed to the women waiting to measure each soldier. He glanced back at all of the recruits and saw that Mikasa was putting an unconscious Eren on the ground. "Pathetic." He mumbled just loudly and clearly enough for her to hear as he walked by. Mikasa was just relieved that he didn't make a big deal over it. 

*****

Armin didn't know how long he had been laying on the worn out, thin cell mattress when he eventually cried himself to sleep. When he woke up again, it was because he felt cold and was shivering. He wanted to crawl under the blanket he was laying on, but the moment he tried to move to even attempt to get it out from underneath himself, he felt the pain in his belly from being kicked, tenfold. He whimpered and laid his head back down as his hand brushed over his abdomen. It felt distended where normally he was flat, maybe even a little hollow from a scanty diet. "That's not right." He stuttered to himself as he continued to shake from the cold. Tears came to his eyes again and he called out for his grandfather in an almost delirious amount of pain. “Grandpa, it hurts!” He whimpered pathetically just before he heard the bars of his cell rattling and the sound of a lock click open. 

"Hi there. I just found out that you're going to be my new experiment! Isn't that exciting?!" Armin heard the voice of an overly excited woman come closer. He closed his eyes trying to block her out. He couldn't handle the over stimulation of her voice and his pain. "What's wrong? You don't look excited at all." Her expert eyes analyzed Armin's face and then down his body. She noticed his hand laying protectively over his stomach and that one of his legs looked to be the wrong shape. "Moblit! Bring that lantern over here! This one is injured!" 

The one called Moblit moved closer and the light from his lantern cast a warm glow over Armin. His leg was twisted awkwardly and badly bruised. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I have to check your stomach." She replied and gently lifted Armin's nightgown up his body and to see his distended stomach that was now dark red. "Moblit! He has some severe internal bleeding. Go get the stretcher!" 

"Hanji, is he really worth saving?" Moblit asked as he set the lantern down and backed away slowly. "Yes! I need a new test subject!" Hanji insisted. "Hurry!" 

Moblit nodded and dashed away to do as asked. 

"Now, what is your name, sweetie?" Hanji asked in a softer voice. She'd noticed that Armin's face scrunched in pain at loud noises so she did her best to control herself. 

"Ar-Armin," Armin replied in a weak voice. "Please. It hurts. Just kill me." 

"I won't kill you if I don't have to, but I can give you something to take away the pain for now," Hanji replied and took Armin's wrist in her hands and brought it to her lips. He didn't even flinch when she pierced his flesh with her fangs. She didn't drink any of the blood he had left but instead gave him her venom to relax him and dull the pain. Armin took a deep breath and then lost consciousness. The venom acting as a sedative enough for his small body to become limp. 

"Well, that was more effective than I thought. If I can save him, he'll be very interesting to study." Hanji said to herself and watched over Armin until Moblit returned. 

Armin didn't stir until Moblit and Hanji transferred him from the stretcher to a cold metal table. He felt his clothes being cut from his body and he was aware that he was lying prone under bright light. He cracked his eyelids open and saw that Hanji and Moblit were both leaning over him. 

"Without vampire blood, he's not going to make it." Moblit was saying. 

"Then I'll give him some of my blood," Hanji replied. 

"You can't! You know you need authorization! Besides, that's disgusting, he's a prisoner!" 

"No- mark of the rose- kill him- lethal injection." 

Armin's mind started to drift in and out again. All he knew was that he was going to die. These people were going to kill him. He desperately tried to cling to his conclusions. Suddenly he didn't want to die anymore. He wanted to live. The people he cared about most flashed into his mind. Eren would be devastated, Mikasa would blame herself, Grandpa had told him to be strong, be brave. How could he defy his grandfather's last spoken wish to him? How could he possibly honor his loved ones with his pointless death? "Er-Erwin. Help me!" He called in the strongest voice he could manage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you were really wanting more Armin. I'm trying to keep the timeline between Armin's story and Eren and Mikasa's aligned for now. That said, my goal for the next chapter is definitely Armin focused and we will meet Erwin too. Let me know what you think in the comments section. I'm also trying to figure out a pet name Armin might call Erwin. Something that isn't too generic. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank Kit_Arlet for believing in me and making me feel validated! This chapter has taken me at least 4 rewrites to complete before I was finally satisfied with it. Without Kit_Arlert I may have given up for a lot longer, if not entirely. Thank you Kit_Arlert! This chapter is for you!
> 
>  
> 
> There is a minor spoiler in this chapter for chapter 49 of the manga. It will prevail throughout the story, but if you don't already know what it is, you may not feel affected by it. It's written in to make sense with the plot, though it's not evident right away. I leave it up to you to continue or not.

Hanji stopped speaking when she heard Armin's voice. When she first met him, a sense of familiarity came over her but she was unsure what to make of it. Now, after hearing Armin's cry for help, the cry for _him,_ she was certain she knew who this boy was and just how important it was to save his life.

Moblit was still speaking, but Hanji ignored him as she tore open her wrist with her teeth and opened Armin's mouth. She held her arm over the dying boy's face and let her blood drip past Armin's lips. "Come on, sweetheart, swallow." Hanji tapped his cheek, hoping to bring him out of the unconscious state he'd fallen into again. When Armin didn't respond, Hanji started to really worry. Was she too late to save him? 

"Sonny! Bean!" Hanji half shouted half growled. Two little boys of about seven years old came scurrying into the room and sat down at Hanji's feet. They wore very little clothing, only bits of leather around their privates allowing a fluffy tail to extend from their backs at the base of the spine. On top of their heads were pointed fur ears that twitched around when their attention wandered. "Go get Erwin for Mommy! Bring him here right away! I'll give you both a treat!" She ordered, and without any hesitation, they scampered away, tails wagging. 

"Hanji, what the hell is going on?!" Moblit demanded as his superior turned her attention back to Armin, who still hadn't stirred. 

"Moblit, I need you to set up an IV! We're giving Armin my blood straight into his veins. I'm not taking any chances!" Hanji ordered as she bit open her recently healed wrist once more and put it to Armin's lips. She hoped at least some of the blood was trickling down his throat. 

"What?! But Hanji! He's just an experiment!" Moblit looked at her in bewilderment as he ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair, pulling. If he wasn't a vampire, he'd probably be bald from all the times that Hanji had been reckless, and stressed him to the point of panic for her safety. 

"Oh, he's much more than that, Moblit! You have no idea how important he is!" Hanji said seriously as she squeezed as much blood as she could into Armin's mouth. "Now do as I say! We don't have much time! He's dying!" 

Moblit opened his mouth to protest but knew better than to argue when he was given a direct order. Despite his misgivings about this situation and the fact that Hanji had often put them in serious harm, this didn't even come close to those to one of those occasions. He reasoned that at the very least, he should appease his creator. He glanced up at Hanji every so often as he got to work inserting a needle with a tube on the end into Armin's inner elbow and noticed how worried her face looked. She had always cared for her experiments, but this one seemed to affect her more like a member of their vampire family dying of an infectious wolf bite. The two of them had watched too many of their brethren pass into the next world on the very table that Armin was laying on. It was heartbreaking to observe, but they did it for research in the hopes of saving future vampires from wolf venom. 

"Come on, baby, wake up. We've been waiting for so long." She pleaded with Armin as she felt for a pulse at his neck. Hanji smiled softly when she finally felt it. It was weak, but there. 

"For the love of magic, Hanji, call your animals off! What's so damn important?!" A low, growling voice said from the doorway as a tall, broad man with slicked back golden hair entered the room. The child with blonde hair called Sonny was hanging from the man's arm by his teeth while the dark haired, Bean was wrapped around Erwin's leg, riding on his foot. Despite the animals clinging to him comically, Erwin maintained his straight-backed regal presence. 

Hanji noticed that Erwin seemed to be extra grumpy today, but that didn't stop her face from lighting up when she saw him. "Moblit! Get the puppies their treats!" She ordered to get her _children_ away from the grumpy vampire. "Erwin, I've found him! He's come home!" 

"Who?" Erwin looked confused as he entered further into the room. There were tears forming in Hanji's eyes, which was highly unusual. His gaze flickered to her metal exam table to see a frail looking boy with a needle in his arm. His belly was dark and full of blood and one of his legs was clearly broken. Erwin's attention was drawn to the boy's face, however, and he moved swiftly to get a better look. He pushed back Armin's bangs and traced his button nose to the tip. "It's not possible. It's been so long..." 

Hanji watched as Erwin tenderly touched Armin's face with his good hand and smiled. She could see that regardless of what he said, Erwin knew that they had found who they were looking for at last. "He's dying, Erwin. Our only chance is to give him our blood directly." She said urgently, but with a quiet softness, she rarely showed. 

Erwin stiffened and stood up. He grabbed a nearby stool and removed his jacket as he sat down. "Take all that you need. Save him! We can't lose him again!" The blonde's cold blue eyes betrayed his worry and vulnerability. It was rare for Erwin to lose his composure. 

Hanji jumped into action without hesitation. "You'll have to feed a lot more than normal, it's going to take a lot to heal him." She said as she inserted a needle into one of Erwin's veins and began filling a bag with blood they could hook up to Armin's IV. 

"I don't care what it costs me. Just do what needs to be done." Erwin replied without pause as he stared into Armin's pale face. "What's...what is he called?" 

"He said his name is Armin." Hanji smiled as Erwin's breath hitched. "Amazing, isn't it?" 

Erwin watched in wonder as Hanji hooked up his blood donation to Armin's IV and the red fluid entered the tiny body. "He's smaller than before, but his face is the same." He observed as color slowly started to return to Armin's cheeks as the blood started to work. 

"He's also younger, and malnourished," Hanji replied as she got out another bag to fill with blood. 

Erwin stroked Armin's hair and tucked a lock behind his ear. His fingers brushed over Armin's long blonde lashes but pulled away when Armin's eyes fluttered open. They stared at each other, Erwin in shock and Armin in a haze. 

"Turtledove..." Armin whispered as the corners of his mouth lifted into a weak, but genuine smile. "I knew you'd come for me." He sighed before slipping into unconsciousness again. 

*****

Pain. That was what Armin felt. Even as he was dreaming, the pain clouded his imagination and pulled him closer to wakefulness. First, he heard the crackle of a fire, then he felt the warmth on his face and a dampness there like he had been crying. Armin opened his eyes, but everything seemed blurry through the pain. His whole body hurt, and that was puzzling to him. _My legs hurt?_ He questioned himself, just barely able to form coherent thoughts. 

"You're awake?" 

Armin turned his head to see a tall man sitting near him by the fire. There was a folder full of papers in his lap that he was setting aside. 

"How do you feel?" The man asked as he came closer. Armin couldn't work out the details of his features with his fuzzy vision. The person now leaning in front of him was just a man sized blur of shadow in front of the fire that Armin couldn't pull into focus. 

"Hurts. Pain." Armin croaked. His throat was dry and he didn't have the strength to raise his voice. His eyes closed because the energy it took to hold them open was too much. A small touch on his wrist sent sparks of fresh pain through his body, and when his arm was lifted, he whimpered and more tears flowed down his wet cheeks. There was a sharp pain like a bite, and then a pleasant numbness began to travel up his arm. Armin sighed when his whole body finally felt light and painless. 

"Go back to sleep, Armin. You're not ready to get up yet." 

The words were caring and kind. At first, Armin thought he was back home in his tiny house with his grandfather taking care of him, but the voice was too deep and too smooth. He was too warm for the tiny house and its drafty walls. He slipped back into a deep sleep with thoughts of Grandpa calming his mind. 

*****

Armin had awoken several times in much the same state before he was ready to wake up and stay awake for more than a few minutes. When he opened his eyes, his vision was clear. Very clear. Too clear. Armin always felt he had decent vision, but he'd never seen things in such sharp detail before. He spent his first few minutes awake staring at the large, elaborate mantelpiece several yards away. It was made of gold, and the bas-relief roses and small animals held great detail. Armin felt particularly drawn to the rabbits. They seemed to hold a bit less detail like it had been rubbed away over a long period of time. He thought it was curious that only the rabbits seemed worn down. 

"How are you feeling" a strong, smooth voice that seemed oddly familiar asked. 

Armin heard the creak of a chair as though someone was standing up and slowly turned his head in that direction. Armin inhaled sharply as he openly stared at the tall, blonde man. He was absolutely stunning, with strong muscles peeking out of the top of his half unbuttoned shirt, flawless pale skin, perfectly slicked back golden hair, and sky blue eyes that seemed to hold onto a sadness even as he looked at Armin hopefully. Under his shirt, the man had a blue gem hanging from his neck. Armin felt drawn to it, and it seemed to glow, even in the sunlit room. 

"Do you feel any pain?" The man asked when Armin didn't answer. He kneeled before Armin and gently brushed his bangs from his face. 

"I..."Armin leaned into the touch as though he'd been missing the feeling. "I feel...kind of a dull ache all over. I feel stiff." He answered eventually. "But I don't understand why my legs hurt, or why I can feel them at all," Armin replied as he looked around the spacious room. It seemed like everything was trimmed in gold, but the most prominent color was a deep forest green. Out of the corner of his eye, Armin could see a huge bed with a green bedspread and sheer gold curtains. It caught his attention and triggered more questions. "Where am I, and who are you? What's going to happen to me now?" Armin had much more on his mind, but he asked the questions that seemed the most pressing to him. 

"Your whole body is healing and being enhanced by my blood. Your legs are regrowing their lost muscles now, I expect." The man before him replied softly as his left hand took Armin's and held it for his own comfort. "Your other questions are a bit more complicated." 

Armin stared up at Erwin in bewilderment. The only answer he'd received seemed to bring even more questions to mind. _His muscles were regrowing? His last conscious thought was that he was going to die, now he was being healed completely. He was also in a very lavish bedroom with a gorgeous vampire. How complex was his situation? What was going to be expected of him in return?"_

Erwin closed his eyes as if deciding how much information to give Armin. "My name is Erwin Smith, and this is my bedchamber. I'm a vampire at the Rose Castle and I have chosen you to stay by my side." 

"So...I'm your assistant?" Armin asked, feeling, even more, questions bubble to the surface. 

"...I wouldn't call you that. Not in the way you're thinking." Erwin replied cryptically. "I wouldn't ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with. I'd rather think of you as a friend or a companion." The last word was emphasized, and clearly the term that Erwin preferred.

"Your companion? But what does that mean? To you? What do you expect of me?" Armin asked as he stared up into Erwin's captivating eyes. Back at home, he'd sometimes dreamt about the Vampires and their perfect appearances. He'd actually been curious about what it meant to be an assistant and get to know every detail of their perfect bodies. It was something he'd never shared with anyone and tried not to think about. Everyone in his village seemed to think it was vulgar and disgraceful, and Armin didn't want anyone to know about the shameful fantasies that plagued his dreams at night. As he stared up at Erwin, Armin remember some of the images and feelings he'd felt during those dreams and it stirred something in him, he'd never felt before, causing a blush to spread across his cheeks. 

"I'm lonely, Armin. I just want someone by my side to keep me company." Erwin said softly as he pulled down the blanket that was covering Armin's body. 

Armin felt the weight of the blanket leave his legs and the cooler air ghost his skin. He looked down at his body, feeling stunned. He was dressed in a creamy satin, button down shirt and shorts that sat high on his thighs. The shorts allowed Armin to stare at his legs in amazement. They no longer looked like bones wrapped in skin. They had filled out quite a bit and almost looked as thick as Eren's, though less defined. Armin had always felt jealous of how muscular and capable Eren's body looked whenever they went to the lake in the summer time. Now, Armin's legs looked almost as good. Tentatively, he reached down and brushed his fingers over his smooth skin. Tears came to Armin's eyes when he was able to feel his hand on his leg. It had been so long, he'd almost forgotten what it was like. 

"Erwin... touch me. Please touch me. I... I need to know that it's not in my head." Armin begged as he started up at the vampire pleadingly. He didn't feel scared of Erwin like most humans would. He felt safe and comforted by the vampire's presence, and Erwin's touch didn't make him feel like prey. 

Erwin was caught off guard for a moment and felt his ears heating up before he figured out what Armin was truly asking for. He smiled softly and gently touched Armin's thigh with his left hand and let it glide down passed his ankle to touch his toes and then come back up the other leg. 

Armin shivered as his whole lower half tingled in a way he'd never felt before. Thoughts of his dreams about the vampires, came flooding back to his mind, causing his pants to tighten in front. At first, Armin didn't really understand the sensation he was feeling between his legs as he'd previously had very limited sensation there, but it only took a few moments for him to realize why his shorts were tenting. "I...I'm sorry! I'm not...I'm not used to...I don't..." he stuttered over his words when he saw that Erwin had noticed what his touch had done. 

"It's fine. Just relax. It's new to you, I'm sure. I just want to stretch your legs to work the stiffness out." Erwin said gently, smiling at Armin. "Would it be alright if I took you to the bed? There's more room there than on this sofa." 

"I...I guess so..." Armin blushed a deeper shade of red. His legs were so sensitive and he didn't know how well he could actually tolerate having them touched by the beautiful vampire in front of him. 

"Good," Erwin replied and slipped his right hand under Armin's shoulders and his left under his knees, and lifted the boy as though he weighed nothing. 

As soon as Armin was hoisted into the air, he felt pain spark in his legs again, effectively killing his boner. "It hurts!" He whimpered, a tiny sob escaping his chest. 

"I'm sorry. I know you're not fully healed, but it will take longer if we don't exercise your legs. I'll give you something for the pain and let you sleep some more in a little bit." Erwin promised. 

"I don't want to sleep anymore. There's still so much I don't understand." Armin felt tears prick the corners of his eyes as he was laid carefully on the bed. 

"I'm sorry, but there is just too much for you to learn even in one week. I promise, in time you will be given the answers you desire. For now, you need to focus on healing. Your body comes first." Erwin said kindly, but firmly. He gave Armin a minute to adjust to the bed and slid a pillow under his head. 

"Then... how long will it take me to heal? Have I been asleep for long?" His voice was a little strained, but the pain was subsiding as he laid still. 

"You've been asleep for six days so far. You woke up a few times, but it was only for a few minutes. This is the first we've really been able to talk." Erwin replied as he gently set a hand on Armin's leg. "I'm going to start with your ankles and work my way up, okay?" 

"Six days?!" Armin gasped as Erwin lifted his left leg off the bed a few inches. 

"Yes. You've come a long way, but you still have a good deal of time left before you can walk on your own." Erwin replied as he moved Armin's foot forward and held it there for a few seconds before pushing it bank towards Armin. 

"W-walk?" Armin whimpered as his pain escalated again. 

"Yes. You should be able to walk once we strengthen your legs and you learn to balance again." Erwin replied and repeated the motion a few times before moving to Armin's other leg. 

"Is it always going to hurt this much?" Armin whimpered as tears rolled down his cheeks. 

"No. It will get easier in time." Erwin smiled down at Armin. "Maybe the next time you wake I'll give you a bath. The warm water will help you relax." 

Armin blushed deeply at the thought but quickly yelped in pain when Erwin bent his leg at the knee and pushed his knee closer to his hip. "That hurts! That hurts!" 

"I know, Bunny. I'm sorry." Erwin replied, using the pet name without even thinking. He was sympathetic to Armin's pain, but he knew he had to help the boy push through it. His legs were still very inflexible and weak. "One more time, then we're done," Erwin promised as he picked up Armin's other leg and gave it the same treatment. 

Armin's hairline was damp with sweat from the pain, and he was panting by the time Erwin laid his leg back down. As much as he hated being in pain, he was still excited at the prospect of having the use of his legs back. It was something he never thought he'd get to experience again, and a slight smile turned up the corners of his mouth. 

"You look exhausted." Erwin ran a hand through Armin's hair, combing it back from his face. "I just need you to do one more thing before you fall asleep." 

"What is it?" Armin asked, hoping it wouldn't be painful. 

"I need you to drink my blood. You're strong enough now that we don't have to give it to you with a needle." Erwin said softly. 

Armin grimaced. He usually felt queasy whenever he saw blood. The idea of drinking it sounded awful and repulsing. "I...I can't. The sight of blood makes me feel sick." He admitted. 

"You need it, Armin. It's keeping you alive right now." Erwin said softly. He took the pillow out from under Armin's head and sat him up. He carefully slid in behind the blonde and let Armin's back rest against his chest. 

Armin winced with the motion, but once resting against Erwin's chest, he sighed contentedly. Their juxtaposition felt comforting and oddly familiar, considering its newness. "Will I die if I don't drink it?" He asked softly, already feeling the pull of exhaustion on his eyelids. 

"Yes. Your injuries were very severe." Erwin frowned as he wrapped his arms around the boy in his lap and nuzzled his face in his blonde locks. "I still don't know how you got them. It had to have been once you arrived on the island or you would never have survived." 

"I..." Armin thought back to when he first arrived at the island. "I was picked up and dropped on the ground to prove a point. The commandant wanted everyone else to know what happened if you didn't have a use. I think that's what happened to my leg. I didn't feel it, but it wasn't the right shape. I think it must have been broken." 

"It was broken, yes. But the fracture is gone now." Erwin said softly, pressing little kisses to Armin's hair. "How about your belly? You had severe internal bleeding." He asked as one hand caressed Armin's stomach. 

"I was told I would be experimented on. The guard that took me to my cell offered to let me be a regular prisoner if I...if I...pleasured him." Armin felt slightly sick at the memory. He felt Erwin hold him tighter, protectively. "He kicked me in the stomach twice with his armored boot. I refused his...offer." 

"I will personally make sure that guard is punished for hurting you and that the commandant is reprimanded," Erwin replied, a growl in his voice. He was furious that anyone would treat the boy in his arms that way. 

"I'd rather you just stay here," Armin whispered. He told himself he was saying it to calm the angry vampire, but he couldn't fully deny to himself that his words held truth. 

Erwin kissed Armin's hair again and his body seemed to soften. "I won't leave you until you're feeling better. But they will be dealt with." He said firmly. "Now. I want you to close your eyes. I'm going to bite my wrist and hold it to your lips. Don't think about what it is, just drink as much as you can." He explained carefully and covered Armin's eyes with his gloved right hand. 

"I don't know if that will work. I already know its blood." Armin said nervously, feeling his heart start to speed up. 

"Relax, Armin. You can do this. I'll be right here to help you." Erwin whispered in Armin's ear before bringing his wrist to his mouth. He bit open his flesh, with a precise piercing from his fangs. The two small holes began to bead with blood as Erwin gently pressed his thick wrist to Armin's lips. "Taste it. Vampire blood is appealing to humans." 

Despite what his mind told him, Armin parted his blood damp lips and tasted the metallic red fluid. While the flavor itself wasn't very enjoyable the sensation it gave his tongue was. It felt odd to taste something you didn't like, yet still, crave it. Armin pushed the idea to the back of his mind as he licked up everything on his lips and started lapping at the bloody wrist Erwin had offered. 

"That's it, Bunny. You're doing great." Erwin encouraged. "Suck now. Pull more blood into your mouth. Drink as much as you can." 

Armin obeyed. He latched his lips around Erwin's wrist and sucked hard until he felt the blood start to flow into his mouth. He swallowed it down, enjoying the feeling of it going down his throat and warming his belly with a fresh wave of energy. 

"I'm going to give you something to help you sleep now," Erwin said softly against Armin's neck. 

Armin felt Erwin pull back his hair and lick the flesh on his neck. It felt sensual and made Armin's skin prickle pleasantly. Everything about his current situation was new, yet he felt comfortable and calm, even a little excited. He paused his sucking to let out a soft moan as Erwin's fangs lightly brushed his skin. Then he gasped when he felt pain blossom from two pricks in his neck. There was a moment of emotional confusion for Armin before the effects of Erwin's venom spread into his blood stream. He moaned again, this time louder as his whole body started to tingle and he felt himself getting aroused again. 

"It's time to sleep, Armin." Erwin's smooth voice said in his ear, causing the small male to feel suddenly very sleepy. Armin's eyes slipped closed and he slumped against Erwin's chest, relaxing totally in Erwin's arms until sleep took him into a peaceful rest. 

"My Bunny." Erwin sighed when he felt Armin fall into a deep sleep. There was a little blood on his shirt where Erwin's wrist had dribbled just before the wound closed on its own. "How will I ever tell you who you truly are?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know that it may be confusing that Erwin and Hanji seem to know who Armin is, While Armin seems to be mostly unfamiliar with them. I had originally planned to explain that in this chapter, but I'm afraid it will have to remain a mystery for a while longer. I want to keep some to the suspense going, but also not be overwhelming with information that's better left to be discovered slowly by Armin as the story progresses. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Comments and Kudos are most welcome! 
> 
> I would also like to invite you to come find me on my new Tumblr [My Tumblr](https://tea--is-not-leaf-juice.tumblr.com/)  
> I love to chat, so don't be afraid to message me!  
> You can also come find me on my Instagram of the same name as my AO3 account!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Eren's perspective. I want to get his and Mikasa's side of the story caught up/mostly caught up to Armin's before I write more lovely winmin fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say a HUGE thank you to all of my readers, but especially those of you that commented on my last chapter! I really needed the encouragement and It means the world to me to have your support! This story has become much more than I originally thought it would be and sometimes it seems overwhelming, but you guys have kept me motivated to keep going. Thank you!

When Eren finally awoke, it was to Mikasa shaking his shoulders. Slowly, he opened his eyes and tried to make out her silhouette in the darkness. "Mikasa? Where are we?" He rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands as he sat up too quickly. "Ouch! Shit!" He hissed when his head collided with the wooden slats of the bunk above his. 

"Careful. We're in the barracks. You have a bottom bunk, so you can't sit up that fast." Mikasa whispered as Eren carefully ran his fingers over his slight bump. 

"Would you two mind shutting up? We have a long day tomorrow!" A voice called out from somewhere among the sleeping bodies. It was hard to make out just how large the room was with all the bunks crowding the space, but the moonlight coming in through the windows illuminated enough to show that they were far from alone. 

"Eren... are you feeling okay?" Mikasa asked as she looked into her brother's eyes, ignoring the voice. 

"Yeah. Never better." Eren mumbled and slipped his feet over the edge of his bed. He was wearing some sort of soft cotton pants and he could feel the same material in his shirt. Mikasa was wearing the exact same garb and Eren guessed they were just standard issue sleepwear. "How long have I been asleep? The last thing I remember..." his face turned a bright red as memories of Captain Levi swirled through his mind. He still felt extremely embarrassed about how he'd acted under the influence of the vampire's venom. It was humiliating, but what made it worse was that Eren couldn't help wanting to experience it again in a more private and secluded setting. The brunette shivered at the thought and did his best to push it out of his mind. 

"The sun went down a few hours ago, but you've been asleep since yesterday. You missed your uniform fitting and the first day of training, but you need to get up now. Oruo is waiting for you outside." Mikasa replied quietly and stood up, pulling Eren with her by his hand. 

"Oruo? Oh, you mean that asshole with the graying hair?" Eren asked as he thought back to the other Vampires they'd met. Captain Levi was the only one that had truly stood out to Eren. 

"Yes, but I wouldn't say that to his face. He seems extra tense tonight." Mikasa whispered. 

"Why? What's going on?" 

"I don't know. But I think we should try to stay on his good side if we want to find Armin. I'm pretty sure Oruo is under Captain Levi's command, and Captain Levi seems to have a lot of power here." Mikasa cautioned as they approached the door to the outside.

Eren's eyes were wide as he followed his sister out into the center of a circle of barrack buildings. This was the first she'd made mention of rescuing Armin, and Eren felt relieved that he wasn't alone in his goal. He wanted to spend more time talking to her about some sort of plan, but he realized it would have to wait when he saw two Vampires holding lanterns by the small well for communal drinking water at the center of the surrounding barrack buildings. The short, strawberry blonde girl had a serious expression that bordered on nervousness, while Oruo looked bored, but a little grim. They were both dressed in full silver armor and looked ready for battle. "What's going on? Did something happen? Was there a break in?" Eren asked, taking in their appearances. He couldn't think of a reason for so much armor in the middle of the night in a place that was supposed to be safe. 

"We're here to escort you to Captain Levi," Oruo replied. "Please, follow us. Mikasa, you will stay here." 

"I'm going with you," Mikasa spoke up immediately, and both Vampires drew their swords in response. 

"You will stay here. We are only taking Eren." Oruo replied in a much firmer voice. 

Mikasa's eyes darkened as she stared at the drawn swords. When they had originally asked her to bring Eren to them, they seemed much calmer. Now their eyes looked at her brother like he was some sort of enemy. "Why are you treating him like a threat? He hasn't done anything but sleep since that captain sucked most of his blood out." Her voice was calm, but Eren could see her fists clenched tight in anger. 

"Mikasa. I'm going to go with them. If I play along, maybe I can convince them to at least let us see Armin." Eren whispered to his sister, echoing her own idea back at her.

"We're doing as ordered," Oruo replied, tensely. "We don't want to use our swords, but we will if we must! Eren! Follow Petra to the stables for your horse, or we will cut your sister down!" 

Eren slipped out of Mikasa's grasp and dashed towards the Vampires. His sister, predictably, chased after him, but Oruo blocked her path while Petra led him away. "I don't understand what's going on?" Eren said to Petra as she pulled him passed the barracks buildings and over to the stables. He could hear Mikasa screaming for him in the background, and when he turned to look there were a lot more people gathered around the well. Some guards, and some cadets. _"Mikasa, I thought you said not to piss anyone off. What are you doing?"_ Eren thought to himself in exasperation. 

"He won't hurt her, but she can't come with us. It's imperative that we get you to the Captain as quickly as possible." Petra tried to reassure Eren as they approached the horses. They were already saddled and waiting. "You know how to ride, right?"

"Of course, but..." 

"Good. Get on and follow me." Petra instructed as she moved to untie the horses from their post at a pace faster than normal human speed. 

Eren did as he was told and hoisted himself into the saddle. The horse he was given was much bigger than he was used to at home but seemed better trained and more patient as he guided her to a gallop behind Petra on their way up the long path to the castle. The trip didn't take long by horse, but Eren could understand why they didn't walk if they were in a hurry. The waxing crescent moon cast a surprisingly bright glow over the landscape, and Eren noticed for the first time just how vast the island was. On the way in, he'd been too focused on Armin to see how the castle was built into a mountain, or how a large portion of the land was occupied by forest, or even just notice the beauty the island possessed. He hoped that somehow he could break Armin out of jail and show him just how big the world was. _"One day we'll go on all the adventures we've dreamed of. You, me, and Mikasa. I promise, Armin!" _The promise echoed in his head, and Eren was dead set on doing whatever it took to set Armin free.__

__"Eren, we're coming up to the castle now. I'm going to speak with the guards. Don't look them in the eye or instigate anything. It's very important that this goes smoothly. Do you understand?" Petra asked, turning her head to look at Eren._ _

__Her face looked pleading, and Eren didn't understand why she was looking at him that way. The Vampires ran the castle, so why did it feel like they were sneaking around? "Yeah. Okay." He nodded as they approached a side gate. Petra dismounted first and saluted the two guards standing in front._ _

__"I have orders to bring this human to Captain Levi. Apparently, he's changed his mind and wants this one for an assistant." Petra explained as she motioned to Eren who was just dismounting._ _

__Eren slipped at the last minute and landed on his butt in the grass at his horse's feet gracelessly. _"Did she say, assistant?"_ He thought to himself as his face blossomed an embarrassing shade of pink._ _

__"Captain Levi? Take an assistant? That's new!" On of the guards laughed as the other brought a lantern over to Eren's face._ _

__"I guess he's not too awful on the eyes. Leave it to Levi to pick the clumsiest human though." The other one smirked down at Eren._ _

__Eren felt his ears burn and his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't understand if he was angry for Captain Levi or himself, but it didn't matter. Eren knew he had to control himself. _"Don't look at them. This is for Armin. For Armin."_ He repeated it like a mantra over and over in his head. _ _

__"Let us in, please. You know what happens when the Captain is kept waiting." Petra stood her ground. She sounded irritated, but her body language was non-threatening._ _

__"Yeah, alright, Petra. But only for you, sweetheart." The first guard agreed while the other unlocked the gate. "It's cute the way you get to play soldier sometimes, but I bet you're hot under all that metal."_ _

__Petra said nothing and pushed passed them, pulling Eren with her. She marched quietly into the castle's interior and guided them through the dim halls. She seemed to know the path like the back of her own hand, and the longer they went without seeing anyone, the more relaxed she became._ _

__"I don't understand. Why did you let them talk to you like that? You're a vampire, right?" Eren asked quietly._ _

__"So were they." Was her only response as they approached a dark stained wooden door._ _

__"Yeah, but-"_ _

__"Look, Eren... you need to learn quickly that things here are not as they seem. There are very few of us that haven't let our immortality go to our heads. Most Vampires you meet will have more entitlement than you'd think possible, and there is a hell of a lot of prejudice. Especially against women soldiers." Petra whispered before knocking in a short, but melodious pattern in the door. It opened immediately and she stepped inside, motioning for Eren to follow. "Captain Levi, Doctor Hanji. I've brought Eren." She announced._ _

__Once inside the room, Eren could see that it was actually a small office. Book cases lined the walls on both sides. There was a large window at the very back of the room and a desk sitting in front of it, facing the interior. Behind the desk sat Captain Levi with a cup of tea in his hand. He seemed to be lounging casually and relaxed, but Eren could see that he was armed. Under each shoulder was a silver gun in a holster over his black waistcoat. To his right stood a tall woman with bushy brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail. She wasn't like most other women that Eren was used to seeing. She didn't wear a skirt or a dress, she wore gray pants that hugged her legs, and boots up to her knees. Her shirt definitely looked like the kind generally worn by men, yet she seemed very confident, and Eren found that he accepted her for it immediately. She was also armed with knives attached to her hips in varying sizes and shapes, making Eren momentarily wonder if she was a butcher._ _

__"Thank you, Petra. Please, Eren. Sit." Levi motioned to the chair in front of his desk._ _

__Everyone stared at him, waiting for Eren to do as he was told, and it made the boy feel tense as he sat. "So uh...can I ask why you wanted to see me, sir?" Eren's mind wondered back to the conversation Petra had at the gate when she claimed that Eren was Levi's assistant and he wondered if that was true._ _

__"Would you like some tea, Eren?" Levi poured a cup out of the pot on his desk and handed it over. Eren took it to be polite but had grown a distaste for the stuff. "It's not wolfsbane. I hate that shit." Levi added when Eren didn't drink._ _

__Eren glanced down into the cup and saw that the color was green and not the murky dark color of wolfsbane. Reluctantly, he brought it to his lips and took a sip. "That's not bad. Definitely tastes better than wolfsbane." He said to the room and kept sipping through the silence. "So...I'm guessing you didn't invite me here just to watch me drink tea?"_ _

__"No," Levi replied as he leaned back in his chair again. "I wanted to ask you why you're here."_ _

__Eren scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and his mouth opened and closed as he tried to wrap his brain around the absurdity of the question. "Isn't it obvious?"_ _

__"You tell us," Levi said stoically._ _

__Eren looked at each of them, trying to figure out why he was being interrogated suddenly. "I'm only here because I was part of the culling like everyone else. That's the only reason I was brought to this stupid castle! It's not like I want to be here! I didn't want that stupid mark, or to become a guard!" Eren growled irritably._ _

__"What mark?"_ _

__Eren's teeth ground together at Captain Levi's stupidly obvious questions. "The one on my forehead?" He yanked his bangs up to reveal perfectly smooth skin. There was only the slightest hint of pink left, but it was barely noticeable._ _

__"You were right, Levi! It's barely there!" Doctor Hanji smiled in fascination and took a step closer._ _

__"What do you mean, it's barely there? I was burned. Just like Mikasa and Armin, and everyone else!" Eren said irritably, causing the two in front of him to stiffen briefly._ _

__Levi held up his hand and a thin trail of black smoke left his fingers. It swirled around in the air before solidifying into a plain mirror in a small golden frame. He grasped it from the air and handed it over to Eren. "See for yourself."_ _

__Eren took the mirror and held it up to his face. He could see his smooth skin showing very little of the rose outline. If he didn't know what to look for, he probably wouldn't even have noticed it. "So I heal quickly. What does that have to do with anything?"_ _

__"Humans don't heal that quickly, and those magic tools were designed to leave a permanent mark," Levi replied._ _

__"What's that supposed to mean?! Are you trying to say I'm not human?!"_ _

__"Are you human, Eren?" Levi asked raising a brow at Eren's anger._ _

__"Yes! Of course, I'm human!" Eren felt completely dumbfounded by this line of questioning. It wasn't his fault their stupid tools, were faulty, and of course, he didn't want to be here._ _

__Hanji and Levi looked at each other and exchanged a nod, seemingly able to communicate wordlessly. "I've met Mikasa. Tell me about the other one you mentioned." Levi changed direction._ _

__"Armin? He was taken too, but you assholes threw him in prison because he couldn't walk!" Eren felt his anger rising high again and his nails dug into the wooden armrests on his chair. "They said he was going to become an experiment! You were going to use him just for his body and his blood! He's suffering right now, because of your kind!" Eren jumped out of his chair. He was shouting, and he could hear his blood pumping furiously in his ears. His head ached and his skin prickled._ _

__Levi stood abruptly, drawing both his guns. At the same time, Eren felt something wrapping around his body and snaking between his teeth. It tasted like wood, and it was rough like bark. He tried to turn his head, but the wooden vines around him squeezed tighter, keeping Eren from moving more than an inch. Out of the corner of his eye, Eren could see that the wooden vines were growing out of Petra's hands. She was the one binding him, and she looked terrified._ _

__"Easy Petra. We don't want to hurt him." Levi said calmly as he put one gun away and picked up the mirror that had been placed back on his desk._ _

__"But Sir, he's-"_ _

__"I know." Levi nodded calmly at her and turned back to Eren. "In that tea was a truth serum. Ever since you drank it, you've only been able to tell the truth as you understand it. I believe completely that you feel you're human, so I'm sure this is going to come as a shock to you." Levi was careful and slow in his movements as he held up the mirror again so that Eren could see his reflection._ _

___"No... This cant be real... What am I?"_ Eren asked himself desperately as he looked in the mirror. His face had sprouted brown fur, the same color as his hair. His ears were slowly becoming pointed and moving up to the top of his head like that of a dog. Instead of teeth, long fangs were biting down into the wooden vine in his mouth. He looked vicious, like something out of a nightmare. He had become the thing that villagers whispered about in fear. A bad omen. A destroyer. A filthy creature to be hunted. _ _

__"You're not human, Eren. You're a werewolf." Levi's voice was cold and calculating as he watched realization dawn on Eren's face._ _

__"No!" Eren tried screaming through vine as he used his inhuman strength to tear at his bounds. In the mirror, he could see his skin becoming furry as his identity melted around him. Tears came to his eyes as his face began to elongate into a snout. _"This isn't real! This isn't real! I'm human!_ _ _

__"Hanji, now!" Levi ordered._ _

__Eren barely registered a prick in his neck, before his legs started to feel like jelly, and his mind became fuzzy. He was falling, and his eyes slipped closed as more vines wrapped around his body, trapping him on the floor. He fought whatever substance was trying to put him to sleep, and stared up at the others blearily as they spoke over him._ _

__"Are you going to kill him? Once he wakes up again, I don't think I'll be able to hold him still for long." Petra asked anxiously._ _

__"Oh no! We have plans for this one." The one called Hanji smirked as Levi handed her some silver shackles and a muzzle. She approached Eren cautiously and nodded at Petra to release her vines. Eren could feel them slowly recede, but his body was now completely paralyzed. He could only move his eyes and nothing more. Hanji lifted his head and slipped the metal cage over his face. When the bars touched his skin, Eren felt a searing pain and if he could have made a noise, he would have howled in agony. Next came the shackles around his wrists, ankles, and neck, all connected by silver chains that burned his skin like a white hot iron. "If you're a very good wolf, we won't have to leave these on for long. We want to work with you, not against you." Hanji whispered in Eren's furry ear just before he passed out from the pain._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Eren! Don't hate me! I promise this is necessary! Let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll respond. I always reply, and I'm alway excited to hear feedback. 
> 
> If you like my writing and you enjoy some jearmin, you can check out my other works [here](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Tea_is_not_leaf_juice/pseuds/Tea_is_not_leaf_juice)
> 
> And if you want, you can find me on Tumblr [here](https://tea--is-not-leaf-juice.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More on Eren in this chapter. Some things are explained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for possible triggers of drug use/sedatives. It's not glorified in any way, but it is there.

"Armin!" Eren gasped as he sat up too fast. He'd been laying on a lumpy mattress and dreaming of the last events he remembered before passing out. He wasn't sure if it had really happened, but in his dream state, he'd felt like he was dead before he'd had the chance to help his best friend out of prison. 

Trying to blink away the fogginess in his brain, Eren looked around the dimly lit room. There were three stone walls around him, one behind, and one on each side. In front of him, at the foot of the bed were vertical metal bars spaced too close together to let anyone through. The light was coming from lanterns hung on the wall just beyond the bars. _I'm in a jail cell._ he thought to himself as he looked around. There were no windows and the air felt damp and cool, making Eren think he was underground. 

"Hanji. He's awake." A velvety voice spoke from a dark corner. Eren had to squint to see the figures on the other side of the room. His vision was still blurry, something he wasn't accustomed to, but he could tell that it was Captain Levi talking. 

"Fantastic!" Hanji rushed forward and pressed her face through the bars. 

"Hanji, don't get too close! He could be hostile! Especially after the muzzle and shackles!" 

Eren didn't recognize the third voice, but their words reminded him of the metal that had burned his skin even through the fur that he recently discovered he could grow. He looked down at his wrists and saw faint pink marks around them. Just thinking about the shackles made his skin itch and burn from the memory. He wondered how long it had taken him to heal from their scorching brand, and subsequently how long he'd been sleeping. Again. 

"He's chained up. He can't go anywhere." Hanji waved the third man off with a flick of her wrist. Eren still couldn't make out the individual feature of the Vampires on the other side of the bars, but he could see that his ankles were indeed in shackles chained to the metal frame of the bed. Thankfully, they weren't made of the silver that had burned him. 

"How are you feeling Eren? Tired? Pain? Dizzy? Aroused?" 

"What?" Eren blinked dumbly. "Why would I be aroused?" A faint blush spread over his cheeks. 

"I injected you with some of Levi's venom along with some other things. I need to know how it's affected you." Hanji replied, sounding a bit impatient. 

"I thought you wanted to kill me," Eren replied. His mind was still fuzzy from whatever drug Hanji had given him. He was having trouble taking everything in. In the back of his mind, he thought he should be scared or angry that they'd hurt him, but he felt too tired to even try to pull at the chains binding him to the bed. 

"Oh no! We want to study you!" Hanji grinned through the bars. "We've never had the chance to speak with a wolf that can transform outside of a full moon! You're special!" 

"What if I don't want to be studied?" Eren asked, wondering if he even had a choice. _Does this mean I'll become an experiment too?_

"What is it you do want, Eren? Honestly?" Levi asked. His velvet voice somehow seemed to soothe Eren's thoughts. 

"I...I want to free my friend Armin and take him away from this place with my sister, Mikasa. I...we want to see what's outside this kingdom." Eren replied, suddenly looking around again as though he might see Armin in a prison cell too. He was the only prisoner in the room though, and Armin was nowhere to be seen. 

"Even though your friend can't walk?" Levi asked with a raised brow. 

"Mikasa and I would take care of him. He doesn't have to walk." Eren insisted. 

"Unfortunately, that dream can't come to pass," Levi replied as he stood and came closer to the bars of the cell. He nodded at Hanji who pulled a gun with a long barrel out of her hip holster and pointed it at Eren. 

"I thought you said you didn't want to kill me!" The sight of the gun put Eren on the defensive and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He was frustrated and angry at his lack of control, but his body still felt too weak for him to do anything about it. 

"This is a tranquilizer gun. I won't use it unless you start to transform." Hanji promised as she aimed carefully. 

"Eren, look at me," Levi said softly, but with authority as he unlocked the cell door and stepped inside. There are some things we need to get straight and some information you need to be aware of." 

"Like what?" Eren scooted back in the bed until his back was up against the wall. He was feeling like prey amongst these vampires that seemed very intent on controlling his every move. 

"Your friend Armin has fatal injuries. He will not recover on his own. He's receiving a constant dose of vampire blood to keep him alive. He's healing, but he will never be able to leave the castle without risking his life. If he survives, he will need to feed on vampire blood for the rest of his life." Levi said emotionlessly, watching all the color drain from Eren's face. "If you cooperate with us, and if he survives, we will let you see him. Good behavior will give you more privileges." 

"How? Why? How was he injured so badly? Why are you trying to save him if he's so worthless he was thrown in jail?! Why do you need to study me? Why are you treating me like a threat?! You're all Vampires! I don't stand a chance against you!" Eren growled. His anger was helping to clear his mind a little. 

"He has no idea about himself! How fascinating!" Hanji grinned. 

"Why we're saving him isn't relevant to this conversation. The fact is, either he'll survive as a human or he'll be turned into a vampire. Your wolf venom is fatal to Vampires. If you want to help your friend, help us find a cure for your venom and learn more about your kind. Vampires and werewolves have been at war for over a century. If the vampires get wiped out, Armin will die." Levi replied, giving Eren the facts. There was no point in hiding Eren's lethal ability. He would find out sooner or later. 

Eren was silent at first as he processed what Levi told him. "I...I want to see him now. And Mikasa. Show them to me so I know they're safe." He demanded. "If you want my help, prove to me that they're safe and will stay safe!" 

"We'll bring you, Mikasa. She'll be participating in our research as well. You have to earn the right to see Armin." Levi replied and stepped outside the cell. 

"No! I have to know he's okay!" Eren shouted in anger as Hanji handed over the gun to Levi and picked up a black case to carry into the cell. 

"Eren, he's recovering from fatal injuries. It would be counter productive to move him right now. He's safe. He's with one of our most trusted comrades." Hanji reassured as she set her case down on Eren's bed. "Would you really want us to risk his life just to show you his unconscious body?" 

Eren hung his head in defeat. "No." He whispered. 

"If you're honest and compliant with everything I ask, you will see him as soon as he's able. I promise." Hanji smiled at Eren, despite knowing it would be a battle to get Armin in the same room as a werewolf with Erwin around. 

"I'll do anything you ask as long as you keep Mikasa and Armin safe." Eren relented his control and his shoulders sagged. 

"Wonderful! The first thing I'm going to do is take some blood to study. For now, we would prefer you didn't transform into a wolf." Hanji replied as she unlatched her case and pulled out a needle to draw Eren's blood with. 

"I don't know how to transform anyway," Eren replied. "I've only done it once." 

"I doubt that. When I was sucking your blood, I felt your ears shifting. If I hadn't drained you, you would have transformed then and there. Not to mention you would have transformed during every full moon." Levi interjected. 

"I don't remember ever having the moon affect me before," Eren replied honestly. 

Hanji looked thoughtful as she drew Eren's blood into a few vials. "I wonder if he's had memory magic used on him." 

"What's that?" Eren asked hoping to learn as much about himself as they did. 

"It's when someone takes away or alters your memory. It's usually over specific events. Some of the more wealthy citizens choose to have it done when someone close to them dies. They either want to forget the person altogether or have their memories altered into thinking that the deceased had simply moved away." Hanji explained. 

"That sounds awful." Eren felt disgusted at the idea. "How could you betray someone's memory like that?" 

"It can also be used in extreme cases of trauma. Sometimes those victims never recover and their daily life is still full of pain." Levi added. 

Eren thought back to when Armin had lost the ability to walk and how depressed he'd become. years later when he smiled and seemed to be enjoying himself, it wasn't the same as before the accident. 

"So you think that's why I can't remember transforming?" Eren asked as Hanji pulled the needle out of his skin. She watched in fascination as the tiny hole closed up immediately. 

"It's possible. We'll have to have Mike or Erwin examine your mind to find out. In the mean time, we'll check our magician's registry for anyone with telepathy." Hanji replied, looking back at the third man. "Take a note of that, Moblit. And take this blood to the lab and run the usual tests on it." She moved back to the front of the cell to hand over the vials. "And send for Mikasa. We need to keep our promise." She added before returning to Eren and sitting at the foot of his bed. She pulled out a leather bound book and opened it to the first page. Her pencil scrawled quickly over the fine parchment before she looked up at Eren again. "I'm going to ask you some questions now, and I want you to answer as honestly as possible." 

Eren nodded and glanced over at Levi who was holding the gun at his side and no longer aiming at him. They seemed to trust him enough now to be a bit laxer, and that made Eren feel a little better about trusting them in return. 

"How does it feel to transform? Is it painful, enjoyable... do you feel anything at all?" Hanji asked, her pencil poised to write down everything he said. 

"I..." Eren tried to think back to the night Levi, Hanji and Petra captured him. He knew he had transformed, but he didn't remember doing it. "I think...um..." the harder he tried to remember, the more uncertain he became and the more the memory surrounding that even started to fade. It was like trying to remember a dream after waking up. The feelings and emotions were still there, but the images faded too fast to catch them. "I can't remember. I...I think I used to remember, but I don't now. I...I know there is something to be remembered, but the more I think about it, the harder it is to focus." Eren tried to explain as he grew increasingly frustrated with himself he rubbed at his eyes and shook his head to try to jog his memory, but it did nothing to help. 

"That definitely sounds like memory magic. Strong memory magic at that. The magician isn't even here to take the memory away." Levi said, sounding interested. 

"Do you remember why you're here Eren? In this cell?" Hanji asked gently, wondering how far the magic would be affecting him. 

"I...I d-don't!" Eren's eyes were wide and fear could clearly be seen on his face. "We were just talking about it and I can't fucking remember what you said! I don't...I don't remember..." 

"Someone really didn't want you to know you were a werewolf," Hanji said thoughtfully as she took note of Eren's distress. 

"Wait...did you say I'm a werewolf?" Eren looked shocked. "That's ridiculous!" 

"Damn. We're going to have a hell of a time fixing his brain." Levi commented.

"Never mind that for now, Eren. Have you noticed having memory problems in the past?" Hanji asked, redirecting. 

"I...maybe...but I can't remember what I can't remember," Eren replied, getting frustrated. 

"That's a reasonable response. What about your family and friends? Have they ever mentioned you being forgetful?" Hanji replied, and set her notebook down to open up her black case again. She pulled out a few instruments that Eren recognized from his father's own doctor's kit. 

"Armin used to tell me that I had a bad memory, but I always thought that was just because he was smarter than me. He remembers everything he reads, and always had the best grades in school." Eren replied as he watched Hanji put her stethoscope in her ears. She lifted his shirt and pressed the cold metal to his chest. She was listening intently to his heart, but Eren had no doubt that she had absorbed every word he'd said. 

Hanji listened to Eren's heart, and lungs, took his pulse and temperature, writing everything down as she went. Eren watched her intently, finding himself wondering why she felt the need to thoroughly check his health when he was obviously in prison. His mind filled in the answer of why he was there with the next plausible explanation it could think of without him even realizing it. By the time Hanji had finished writing down her notes and theories, at least fifteen minutes had passed without much being said. She was about to close her book, satisfied with the information she'd gathered when she paused. 

"Do you remember why you're here, Eren?" She asked, wondering if time had any more effect on his memory. 

"Because I tried to break Armin out of prison." Eren supplied seamlessly. 

Hanji glanced at Levi before turning back to Eren again. "Can you describe how you went about that?" 

"After dark and while everyone was sleeping, I snuck out of the barracks and up to the castle. I met a friendly vampire who got me past the guards. She told me how to get to the dungeons, but I got knocked out when I ran into the warden. I woke up here after that." Eren explained. He even looked embarrassed when he mentioned getting knocked out. 

"What did this female vampire look like?" Levi asked curiously. 

Eren hesitated. He was worried about getting the female vampire in trouble, but his mind still remembered that he needed to obey to be allowed to see his sister and Armin and to keep Armin safe. "She had...reddish blonde hair. She was shorter than me. I think she said her name was...Petra?" 

"So he views Petra as a friend," Levi stated to Hanji as though Eren weren't there. 

"Can you describe the warden, Eren?" Hanji asked, wondering who Eren saw as his enemy. 

"He was... tall and intimidating. He wasn't a vampire, but he looked like he could crush my skull. He has really dark wrinkles around his eyes. And his breath smelled." Eren replied, trying to recall as many details as possible. 

"Eren!" Mikasa's voice shattered their focus as she ran into the room, followed by Moblit. She yanked on the cell door, ready to rip it off to get to her brother. "Eren, are you hurt?!" She called staring into his eyes. 

"No, I'm okay," Eren replied, only hesitating a little. Something at the back of his mind nagged at him, but he couldn't currently feel any pain, so he pushed it away. "I just got caught trying to save Armin." 

"What? They told me that you were to be a vampire assistant to captain Levi, that's why Oluo and Petra took you away last night." Mikasa starred into Eren's eyes looking for the truth. 

"No one took me. I ran off on my own." Eren cocked his head to the side, wondering why Mikasa was telling him something completely different. 

"Oh...oh I see. I must have remembered wrong." Mikasa backed down on her story. She knew exactly why her brother wasn't remembering the situation correctly and knew better than to challenge him on it. "Let me in, so I can see him." It was a demand, not a question.

Hanji unlocked the door by reaching around the outside to insert the key. As soon as the door was open, Mikasa dashed to her brother's side and grabbed his ears. She felt along his head to make sure it was normal and made Eren open his mouth to check that his fangs were gone. Whenever he looked like he was going to protest, she gave him the look she knew he understood as a warning to back down. 

Levi and Hanji exchanged significant looks with one another before Levi spoke. "So you know about his werewolf side." He stated. "Did you also know it's illegal not to report on the identity of a known wolf like him? Or are you also a wolf yourself?" 

"What?!" Eren barked at the _sudden_ news. 

Mikasa clapped her hands over Eren's ears and stared daggers at Levi. "Don't talk about it in front of him!" She snapped. 

"Why not?" Levi crossed his arms casually while still holding the gun. 

"It will hurt him!" Mikasa replied as vaguely as possible while still trying to convey the urgency she felt. 

"How fascinating!" Hanji grinned as she scribbled in her notebook. 

"How will it hurt him?" Levi pressed. 

"Look...I'll...I'll tell you everything as long as you swear to protect him!" Mikasa said desperately as Eren finally managed to pull her hands away.

"What the hell, Mikasa?!" Eren growled angrily and pushed her away. "Tell me what's going on!" 

"Everything is fine Eren. Don't worry about it." She dismissed his question.

"No! Everything is not fine! Have you even thought about the situation we're in?! Armin is dying, I'm in prison, and Captain Levi is holding a gun on us!" Eren shouted. The sedative he'd been given had almost completely worn off and Eren had the energy now to become enraged. 

Mikasa whipped her head around to stare at the Captain just as he fired a tranquilizer dart past her and into Eren's neck. "No!" She shouted and yanked the dart out a moment after it pierced Eren's skin, but it was a moment too late.

"Fuck!" Eren groaned as he fought the sudden drowsiness and mental fog. His body felt numb and went limp, causing him to slump over. He would have landed on the floor if Mikasa hadn't caught him. 

"What did you do to him?!" Mikasa growled as she held her brother close to her chest, supporting his head as though he were a baby. 

"It's just a tranquilizer," Levi replied. "You said not to talk about his wolf side in front of him. Now he can't hear us." 

"That isn't an ordinary tranquilizer." Mikasa accused, looking back and forth between Levi and Hanji. "What exactly did you give him?!" 

"Vampire venom to paralyze his body, wolfsbane to keep him from turning, poppy oil as a sedative, and belladonna berries to occupy his efficient immune system. It seems to be very effective in putting him to sleep." Hanji explained, always happy when someone expressed interest in her work. 

"Belladonna berries are poisonous!" Mikasa glared at Hanji for attempting to kill her brother. 

"Yes. To humans. Eren isn't human." Hanji reminded her. 

"But it can cause hallucinations! Who knows what kind of nightmares he could be having!" Mikasa felt outraged, yet trapped with Eren in his cell. She knew she was extremely strong and naturally skilled, but she wasn't a match for Hanji, Captain Levi, and Moblit all at once. Not to mention the rest of the castle if she even tried to get Eren out. She also had Armin to think about who was apparently dying, and that thought only distressed her further. 

"You're right. We don't know. But we want to. Our intention is to study him. Find out what hurts him, what heals him, and how powerful he is, and how powerful he can become." Hanji replied honestly. 

"You're not cutting him open and experimenting on him!" Mikasa growled and held Eren tighter, more protectively. 

"Ah. You're mistaking my work for dissection. We would only do that if he dies." Hanji smiled. "But don't worry, we won't kill him and the Belladonna won't kill him. The only way to kill a wolf is by decapitation or a silver knife, arrow, or bullet to the heart. But you already knew that didn't you?" 

Mikasa pursed her lips. She had already revealed more of her knowledge than she wanted to, but she couldn't take it back now. "Why do you want to know all of this about him? What's the point of it?" 

"Can I assume you're aware of how lethal a werewolf bite is to vampires?" Levi asked her, drawing her attention back to him. 

"Yes..." Mikasa grit her teeth in irritation. She was liking these vampires less and less and almost wished she had her own wolf abilities. 

"Do you also know of the war that's been going on between vampires and werewolves?" Levi continued, unfazed by her expression of hatred towards him. 

"Yes. You hunt them, and that caused them to turn against you." Mikasa accused. 

"Is that what you were told?" Levi sneered. "Are you part of a pack then? Or is it just a rumor you're reciting?" 

"It's not a rumor, but I don't belong to a pack either. I'm not a wolf." Mikasa replied coldly. The tension in the air was heavy as the werewolf ally and the raven vampire stared each other down. 

"Mikasa," Hanji said a little more gently than normal. "I would like to talk to you and ask you everything you know about Eren. I want you to participate in our research." 

"What makes you think I'd help anyone that hunts my brother's kind?" Mikasa asked as she continued to stare at Levi. 

"Well, Eren has already agreed to help us to protect you and Armin. If you don't help us, I'll have to rely on him to tell us what he knows and you don't want us talking to him. We're willing to be careful around Eren since his memory is such a mess, but we would be a lot more successful at it if you help us to understand him." Hanji replied honestly. 

"And once I tell you everything I know? You'll keep doing your experiments and keep fucking up his mind, won't you?! The more you make him aware of who he is and what he is, the more his brain scrambles itself! He's not supposed to know anything about werewolves so something was done to his mind to protect whatever knowledge he holds. The only time he remembers is when he's a wolf. But each time he remembers himself, he forgets even more after it's all over. He may have agreed to help you, but that doesn't mean he understands what he agreed to!" Mikasa explained as unwanted tears came to her eyes. Every day after a full moon she wondered what Eren had forgotten. How long would it be until he forgot her? How long until he forgot Armin? How long until he forgot himself? 

"Something was done to his mind? Are you being vague, or don't you know? The more you tell us, the more we can help him." Hanji encouraged. 

"You don't want to help him. You want to experiment with him." Mikasa accused. 

"That's partly true, but we aren't heartless. At the very least you can think of it as part of the experimentation. If we can fix his memory, we'll be able to understand more about him. Then, we'll be happy, he'll be happy and so will you." Hanji replied, holding Mikasa's gaze. She did love to experiment, and wolves were her natural enemy, but these were Armin's best friends, his chosen family. She knew she couldn't do anything to hurt them. 

"How do you plan to help him then?" Mikasa asked skeptically. 

"Two of our elites possess psychological magic. Telepathy. I want one of them, probably Mike, to help Eren to safely remember. I'm hoping he can undo whatever has been done to Eren's brain." She looked at Mikasa hopefully, as the girl's shoulders slumped. "If you can tell Mike everything you know about Eren, it will help him to guide Eren, and watch out for triggers that could hurt him further." 

"If I do this, you won't talk to Eren about his werewolf side until the damage has been undone?" 

"We won't. We will do everything as safely as possible." 

"What about Armin? Eren said he was dying?" Mikasa asked, wanting to get as much out of their deal as possible. 

"He's being healed with the aid of vampire blood. We don't yet know how he was injured so severely, but once he's awake and feeling stronger, we will find out, and we will bring him here as proof that he's being taken care of." Hanji promised. 

There was a long pause before Mikasa finally spoke. "Alright. I'll tell you everything." She finally agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I answered some questions and created more. It was a challenge to write Eren's memory issues in a way that I thought made sense. Let me know if you think I succeeded or if you think it needs more work. I always welcome questions, but I won't spoil anything. Thank you for reading and all of your support! I would never have made it this far without your wonderful encouragement!


End file.
